Why are you her Happy Ending?
by AnEverydaySanePsycho
Summary: 'I understand why Emma is your happy ending Regina but tell me why are you hers? How do you make her life better' Regina balked, Snow was right.' Lots of stories out there that deal with Emma helping Regina with her issues, this is Regina showing that she is Emma's happy ending, that she helps Emma. Recently established SQ. Reviews would be great! :) Rating M for later chaps.
1. Chapter 1

Regina felt the bed shift slightly under the weight of the extra person who crawled under the covers. She glanced up at the clock its red letters indicating it was 4.13, she was not happy and when the Evil Queen wasn't happy, ain't nobody happy. She turned in the bed to face the intruder intending to give them a piece of her mind – it was after all the sixth time in as many nights that Emma had promised her that she was nearly done at the station only to arrive hours later. But when she looked round she found all the stern words and spiteful insults die on her tongue, Emma looked exhausted, truly and utterly exhausted, the effects of the late nights and extra work where clearly having a devastating effect on the Saviour. A small "Hey" followed by a weak smile was all Emma seemed able to manage. "How's the case going?" Regina asked "Nowhere" replied a glum and now pouting blonde. Regina barely managed to contain her smile, a pouting Emma was ridiculously adorable but she didn't need to know that.

The case had been going for just over two weeks now, the seemly one time attack on a young woman just on the edge of the forest, had turned into a spree of attacks and Emma and her father were working furiously to catch the culprit. Regina and Rumple as well as the Blue fairy had been called in originally to see if magic could help find who the attacker was but they'd had no luck. It was now up to good old fashioned police work. Not that Regina honestly believed that _Charming_ was very much help in that respect; but she had tried to keep that thought to herself in the name of not rocking, the very unsteady boat that her and the Charming's where now aboard after finding out of her and Emma's – well it was hard to define exactly what it was her and the blonde had.

"I just feel so useless, it's been over two weeks since the first attack and we have nothing" Emma groaned in frustration "three more girls have been attacked and WE HAVE nothing!, it's not fair!" "No it's not" Regina agreed 'but you're doing everything you can and you're working so hard". "I'm not doing enough" turning away Emma looked up to the ceiling, Regina sat up, leaning her head on her hand to prop herself up and give her a better view of the now quietly stewing sheriff. Before she really knew what she was doing she was using her other hand to run her fingers through the long unruly blonde curls that had spread themselves rather gracefully across the pillow in the way only a true princess can manage. She soon felt Emma relaxing under her continuing touch so she placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head so she was now looking into Emma's eyes. Eyes that she could look into forever truth be told, they were never the same shade of blue twice and even now framed with red rims and the weight of the world in them, they still took Regina's breath away. "You are doing everything right and you will get a break in this case, if you can't find the attacker right now then no one in the same position could. I don't employ shoddy sheriffs" Regina smirked at this and Emma couldn't help but let out a light laugh, it died quickly though and a completive look took its place "I just don't want anyone else getting hurt, these girls don't deserve what this animal is doing to them". "Not many people in this world do deserve the things that happen to them sweetheart, the good and the bad." Regina cupped Emma's face gently, stroking her thumb over her cheekbone. Turning slightly Emma kissed her palm and then finally allowed herself to settle into the bed, letting out a long breath that she didn't even know she had been holding until then. "They'll never be the same though." Before Regina could question this statement, Emma exclaimed.

"Hey why are you still awake?" as if she had only just noticed that it was 4 in the morning and that Regina clearly hadn't been asleep when she came in. "You told me you'd be back hours ago and I couldn't sleep knowing you'd be coming in at any minute." "Oh, right, I just lost track of time" "For the last six nights?" Regina interrupted, her earlier anger coming back somewhat and she moved her hand down onto the space in the bed between them. "I understand that this case is important and you're taking on a lot of the workload, but you have Charming and Ruby and if you're going to tell me a time why can't you just stick to it?!" "It's not like I meant to be late it just happened" "And you couldn't pick up the phone?" "I forgot!" Both of them were now sitting up in the bed, the tension quickly rising between them. "It's just common courtesy Miss Swan or do you think you're above that now that you're the precious White Knight of Storybrooke." "I WAS BUSY" Emma yelled getting out of bed and glaring back at the brunette, 'I'm sooooo sorry that the needs of poor attacked girls come before making a stupid phone call! Even if it was to your majesty." mockingly Emma then gave a bow. As she soon as she done it she realised she was going too far, the lack of sleep causing her to do and say things she didn't really mean. She had promised Regina her past didn't matter anymore, that they could all move on from the person Regina had become when she lost Daniel and here she was mocking her with it – in an argument no less. But Emma was stubborn, maybe even more so than Regina so she continued to glare as Regina spat out her next words at the Sheriff. "Well if you don't like the person I am then maybe you should go stay with Mommy and Daddy Charming then! You didn't seem to mind staying there last week I barely seen you! Haven't seen you since this case began expect when your sneaking into my bed at all hours of the night and waking me up in the process!' "Well excuse me if all I want to do after working a 14 hour day is come home to my girlfriend rather than going to Casa Charming, even if it is just to sleep!' Emma was screaming at this point, however it seemed to take them both a second to realise that Emma hadn't thrown the expected insult at Regina but instead had what? Regina wasn't sure and she momentarily floundered, grasping to understand what exactly Emma had meant.

Meanwhile Emma felt the fight leave her and overwhelming tiredness catch up with her again, she fell back on the bed and covered her face with her hands. Her head was resting slightly on Regina's thigh, the rest of her body lying horizontally on the bed, her legs hanging off the edge. She could feel tears pricking at her eyes but damn it she didn't cry in front of people, didn't cry at all in fact, it must be the tiredness. The silence in the room seemed to stretch on forever, though in reality it had only been moments, Emma broke first. "I'm sorry I didn't call you I should have I know. It's just, last week any time I said I was gonna be late you said I should just stay at Snow's cos it's closer to the station but, but…" she trailed off at this point not wanting to be any more vulnerable "But what?" Regina whispered into the darkness of the room, the anger in her voice gone replaced by genuine curiosity. The brunette felt rather than heard the deep breath the blonde took before speaking. "But I wanted to be with you. I, I sleep better next to you. So I didn't phone in case you didn't want me…. I mean didn't want me to come over so late, I mean." Emma tried in vain to cover her slip; the truth was she didn't know what it was that Regina saw in her. She didn't know why anyone as amazing as Regina, as regal and she meant that in all the best ways could want someone like her, someone so low on the totem pole of life.

Regina for her part was shocked, speechless really and this was someone who had spent the better part of her adult life striking fear into the hearts of millions before callously ripping said hearts out. Regina Mills did not do shocked or speechless. And yet here she was and all because of the blonde thing lying on her bed. Regina had heard what Emma though she had covered up, how could Emma think that she didn't want her? She knew that Emma had issues with abandonment, with believing that people truly wanted her. She'd be surprised if she didn't, given her upbringing, which now that she thought about it they had never really talked about. Anything she knew had been from that file she had gotten Sidney to make when Emma first came to town. Why hadn't they ever talked about it? Ever talked about Emma? Maybe because they had always been so focused on her – the thought crept into her mind unbidden and really quite unwelcomed. Why shouldn't things be focused on her for once? This was her happy ending wasn't it? _Hers or theirs? _A voice echoed in her head sounding suspiciously Daniel like. _Love's a two way street Regina, you cannot take without also giving._ He had always been her voice of reason; her Jiminy Cricket Henry would call him. She had heard his voice a lot when he had first died, would have conversions with him in her head. As she went down the cold, lonely path of revenge his voice had died or maybe she just hadn't wanted to hear it, not when he wouldn't have agreed with her, not when he would have been so disappointed with the person she became.

Emma had moved, she was sitting up on the edge of the bed, it seemed like she had been lost in thought for a while and Emma was getting ready to flee, her go-to option when it seemed like someone was going to reject her. Reject first and Run.

She needed to stop her, Daniel was right love was about more than just taking; she needed Emma to let her in, so she could help like Emma had helped her. She might not get another chance; Snow would do anything to make sure they stayed separated. Thinking of Snow, a snippet of a conversion they'd had, came floating into Regina's mind. It had only been a few weeks ago, just before the case started. Snow and Charming had just found out about her and Emma, they hadn't been ready to tell them, they'd been caught. Even her and Emma hadn't been sure what exactly they were yet but Emma had stood up to her parents, as angry and as confused as the Charming's had been and told them that 'everyone deserves a happy ending including Regina and I intend to make sure that happens with or without your approval'. She had stormed out then and as Regina went to follow Snow had said something that she had brushed off at the time but now seemed to be echoing around her head. 'I understand why Emma is your happy ending Regina but tell me why are you hers? How do you make her life better?' Regina balked, Snow was right – God that wasn't a thought that went down easy. Did she make Emma's life better? Hadn't it been her fault that Emma grew up like she did in the first place? Emma had been working so hard and she had yelled at her. Been angry with her because she had chosen to sleep with her instead of with her parents. _So fix it_. There was that voice again and again it was right. Emma was her happy ending and she was Emma's and she'll be dammed if she was going to let anyone – including herself – mess that up.

"Emma wait, please"

**I am planning on continuing but its only my first fic and I need someone to tell me its not total crap :) so reviews would be oh so nice. Should I leave it as a oneshot or continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, so due to all your lovely reviews, visits, follows and favourite's - of which I truly appreciate every one - so thank you, I have decided to continue with the fic. This chapter has a bit more angst due to the attacks and has some sexy time with the girls. Please let me know how I do.**

**Ps Can I shout out to Alex and Talissabarcelos, I have taken your comments on board and hopeful you see an improvement. Let me know? :)**

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"Emma wait, please."

Emma didn't turn round at the sound of Regina's voice, but she did at least seem to be listening. Silence once again filled the room but this time it was Regina who broke it.

"I didn't mean what I said; of course I'd rather you came here. I shouldn't have shouted at you. I'm sorry. Will you accept my apology?" At this Regina moved across the bed, placing her hand on Emma's shoulder and then trailing her fingers down her arm.

"It's okay" Emma's voice was soft, Regina wouldn't have heard it if she hadn't been right behind the blonde. She leant down and placed a soft kiss on the blonde's shoulder.

"And Emma?"

"Yea"

"I do want you, your my..." Regina was cut off by the loud ringing coming from the red leather jacket lying over her dressing table chair.

"Swan." Emma was all business now, whatever vulnerability she had been willing to show Regina gone as she paced back and forth in front of the bed. "Yea. Okay. I understand. Keep the scene secure until I get there. No one goes near the area without my say so, okay? Thanks Rubes. I'll be there as soon as I can." Pulling on her jeans and grabbing her jacket she addressed Regina now. "I gotta go, they found a body."

"A body?"

"Yea, looks like the guy finished the job this time."

"Who found her?"

"Luckily enough it was Ruby, it's just before the full moon - she gets antsy and restless so she was taking the patrol while me and David got some sleep. Well in theory." She said rolling her eyes at the fact that no sleep had actually been had. "Well, I should probably get going…"

"Of course. Ring me; let me know how it goes."

"Sure, wait it's like five you should be sleeping "

"So should you, I'll sleep when you sleep." It seemed like the right thing to say, the tension that seemed to have built up in the room since Regina's slow response to Emma's vulnerability dissipating, at least a little. "Be careful."

"Always am" was Emma's quick reply accompanied by her signature half crooked grin. Regina rolled her eyes as Emma left the room knowing just how reckless the Saviour could be.

Ten minutes later and the Sheriff's squad car pulled up alongside the docks. Ruby came over to meet her.

"Hey Ems. This one's a bad one"

"They've all been bad" Emma replied.

"Yea well, this one's worse"

Ruby led her down one of the alleys that ran near the docks, at the end of which was a body that had once been a beautiful young girl. Now it was a bloody mess of torn flesh and crushed bone. Most of one side of her face was caved in and her arms had deep lacerations on them, her fingers were bloody and cut – she had tried to fight back.

Emma took a deep breath, trying to control the many emotions that ran through her body at the sight of the broken girl. Anger, sorrow, guilt, pain as half-forgotten memories came charging back to the surface. She fought to push them back down, she needed to stay focused.

She heard footsteps behind her and turning saw David otherwise known as Prince Charming or her _father_ – yea that was still taking some getting used to - walking towards them. Him and Ruby exchanged the same news she had given Emma when she got to the scene, how she had found her – her wolfy smell good for something, though not, apparently catching the now killer Emma thought wryly, and the fact that she hadn't seen anyone about on her patrols.

Looking over the body Emma noticed marks on the torso that looked like finger marks, no wait that wasn't it. Curling her hand into a fist she placed it onto the girl, yes, this print was a lot bigger but it was the same shape. The marks were that of a fist, the bruising darker where the knuckles would be. Someone had done this with their own bare hands. Emma's blood ran cold. How strong did someone have to be to bash a girl's skull in?

Emma and Charming hadn't got a lot out of the other victims, two of them where in comas, the other had been knocked out with the first blow and the first victim was hazy. All she could remember was pain and something that felt like a sledge hammer hitting her over and over again. At first Emma had thought it might well have been a sledge hammer, with all the damage it had done, but as she found a footprint in the mud further down the alley - which could not possibly be, from a normal human being, she found herself thinking that maybe they were dealing with something much more sinister.

"Emma. Emma? EMMA" Charming shouting her name finally pulled her out of her reverie.

"Sorry, what?"

"They're gonna take the body away now. Maybe we should all go home and get a few hours rest. Get a fresh start later on?"

"Yea sure, just let me get a cast of this print first." As much as she didn't want to just leave after getting a new crime scene, she knew she needed to get some sleep soon or she'd be no use to anyone.

"Oh yea and I found some sort of ash on the girls clothes, I bagged it." Ruby said joining the father and daughter duo by the print. "Whoa that's a big footprint"

"Yea" Emma agreed "Know any fairytale characters with feet this size? A Giant maybe?" Emma rolled her eyes at the things coming out of her mouth.

Kneeling down to get a closer look, Charming shook his head "It's way too small to be a giant, besides the only giant that I know of in Storybrooke is Anton, and I don't for one second believe he had anything to do with this."

"Me either" Emma murmured, walking away from the scene and back to her car.

"You want to come back with me to the apartment? It's closer?" He asked it pleasantly enough but Emma could see right through it. The apartment being closer had nothing to do with why he had asked her.

"No thanks, Regina is waiting up" He looked mildly surprised at this but accepted her answer anyway.

Eight minutes later – so she broke a few speed limits, what was she gonna do arrest herself? - Emma was once again crawling under the covers of Regina's bed.

"How did it go? Is the case getting anywhere?" Regina asked, still sitting up and reading a book which she now bookmarked and put on the bedside table as to give her full attention to Emma.

"Wow, this feels like déjà vu" Emma smirked.

"I promise we won't fight this time" Regina breathed gently linking their hands together.

"I didn't ring you" Emma stated, her eyebrows rising up in a slight challenge, though she tightened her grip on Regina's hand.

"You don't need to ring me to come over here Emma, I will always want you to be here when you can, and even when you can't, I'll still want you to be here. I'm just not very good at showing it, its been a while since… well you know."

Emma leant up in the bed and captured Regina's lips with her own. "I know" she whispered into the kiss.

"Emma I need you to kno…"

Emma kissed her again, cutting her of, putting more passion into it, her tongue teasing at Regina's bottom lip, begging for entrance that was gladly given. Their tongues battled for dominance, Regina's hands threading through blond hair, Emma gripping the back of Regina's neck.

There was desperation to Emma's kisses as she moved along Regina's jawline and down her neck, slipping her tongue out over the brunette's pulse point and sucking on it. Regina moaned at the feeling. Her mind clouding as all she could process was Emma's touch on her. The blonde moved up in the bed, never breaking her mouth's connection with Regina's neck. She straddled Regina's thighs, her hands pinning the former Queen's arms to the headboard, she claimed her lips once more.

Regina was breathless, her nipples hardening under the barely there silk nightdress she was wearing, the heat within her, spreading to her core. She wanted Emma so much, but she could feel the slightly frantic way that Emma was pouring herself into her kisses. It was a feeling she knew well and she wouldn't let Emma do that to herself. She pulled away, seeing the hurt in Emma's eyes and immediately feeling guilty for causing it – that's new she thought.

Before Emma could move away though, she linked her hands round the back of her neck and pulled her so close their foreheads were touching. "Don't, Don't, Don't" She whispered as she peppered kisses all over Emma's face. "Talk to me, don't bury your feelings, please darling". She looked into Emma's eyes and she could see a myriad of emotions; hurt, anger, shame, mistrust, pain, love, uncertainty. Moving, she ran one of her thumbs over Emma's lips, never had she wanted to take someone else's pain away so much. "Trust me".

"Anyone I ever trusted left." Emma finally said, averting her eyes from Regina.

"I won't, I know you don't believe me right now and that's okay. But Emma, darling, I won't ever leave you." And then she whispered the words she had always wished someone had said to her all those years ago. "You're not alone, not anymore."

Emma looked into her eyes then, really looked, as if she was seeing into her soul, perhaps she was. Regina only hoped she would find what she needed there, that she would be enough.

"It's just. It's this case. It hits a little…. I get it yano, the girls, I get it."

"They'll never be the same" Regina breathed now realising what had niggled her about that statement, it had seemed personal. The blonde nodded.

"I think I do trust you. I want to trust you. I mean it's not like I don't trust you, you know that? Right? Like with Henry or the town…."

"Emma, Emma" Regina placed a finger over her mouth, effectively silencing the Saviour. "I understand. Trusting me to not be the Evil Queen and trusting me with your past is different, I get it" And she did, when she had talked to the blonde about her past that had been about trusting Emma her girlfriend with it, not about trusting Emma the Saviour.

"Regina?"

"Yes"

"If I promise to talk to you about my past, will you, just, maybe, um, hold me tonight? Emma whispered the last words so quietly, Regina was almost sure that she had misheard. But the fact that Emma wouldn't meet her eyes and almost seemed to be shrinking into herself with insecurity let her know that she hadn't.

"Emma, I promise to hold you every night, even if you never tell me about your past."

She could feel Emma scanning her, looking for any sort of untruth, but she obviously didn't find any because she allowed herself to sink into Regina's arms. The brunette pulled her closer and under the covers, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing slightly. Emma's head fell into the crook between Regina's neck and shoulder as if it had been made to fit there, their legs intertwining. Regina runs her fingers through the blonde locks just as she had earlier, again feeling the blonde relax. She doesn't know what makes her start doing it but she starts humming an old tune that her father used to sing to her when she was young, she has long forgotten the words but she used to hum it to Henry when he was upset, it always seemed to work.

As she feels Emma relax further, her breathing evening out, as sleep overcomes her, she thinks maybe this is it. Maybe this is one of the ways she makes, Emma's life better.

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**So what you guys think? Any questions? Any recommendations? In one of my reviews someone said I should maybe get a beta, not really sure what exactly that entails as I'm new to writing fanfiction but if someone is up for the job, let me know? And again reviews are my drug :) lol **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, here's another update. So far I'm trying to stick to a two day turn around, so fingers crossed that it keeps working out. Reviews will help the process lol. **

**Thank you again for your reviews esp the people that review each chapter.**

**People are already starting to try and guess who the killer is. The killer is a literary character so in theory you will be able to guess, its not like I'm gonna say it was just some randomer. :) But sorry Gunner4life its not Frankenstein.**

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The next morning dawns bright and early, as it would, when you had only gotten to sleep a few hours earlier. Emma wakes to find herself still wrapped in Regina's arms. She tries to untangle herself quickly and quietly, her face burning red with embarrassment, at how vulnerable she had let herself become last night. Regina must think she's so stupid and weak. _'Will you hold me?' _God your such an idiot Swan. Emma mentally berates herself as she sits up in the bed, and checks her phone. Her, Charming and Ruby were planning to meet at Granny's at twelve thirty, she had slept longer than she wanted and definitely longer than she thought she would, but she still had time for a quick shower.

As the hot water cascaded down over her back, she made herself a mental checklist of the things she had to do today. The broad goal was to catch the killer, but even with a footprint and whatever ash Ruby had found, Emma knew it wasn't a lot to go on. Especially when Storybrooke had been practically crime free under the curse, ergo no criminal record database to check the footprint in. It also appeared that keeping records, or even memories, of such people that would be capable of these attacks, wasn't an especially developed Fairy Tale talent. Unless your name started with Evil and ended in Queen of course, then they could remember every single damn thing she had ever done. As Charming, Snow and even Thomas or Abigail hadn't a clue; she had of course asked Regina had she heard of anyone like this. Her rule over her Kingdom, being that much longer than Snow and Charming's and her influence more keenly felt. Her reply was an incredulous expression of annoyance and amusement – 'As if anyone attacking my subjects wouldn't have been known about and dealt with' had been her answer. Emma had smiled at that, no she couldn't really imagine anyone getting much by the Evil Queen. She had then surmised that the attacker had to be from another kingdom at least – which really didn't help her much at all.

Stepping out of the shower and getting dressed, she went back to her checklist. First port of call, coffee, lots and lots of coffee. She was exhausted, but as she stretched, she realised she also felt more alert than she had in days. She smiled at that, knowing instinctively that it had been staying with Regina that had done it and more specifically falling asleep in Regina's arms. She couldn't remember the last time she had allowed someone to hold her like that. Neal probably, though she couldn't remember ever feeling that secure, even with him.

She walked back into the bedroom, picking up her gun and badge and then pulling on her old leather jacket. Regina was still sleeping. Lying like this, all her defences down, you could almost see the young, innocent girl she once was. Sometimes Emma wishes she could have met her back then. Back before everything had been stolen from her, her happy ending torn away. More than that, she wishes she could go back and change it, give her the life that was so cruelly denied to her. But alas, Emma knows better than most, you can't change the past, bad things happen to good people every single day and once darkness enters your life, its changes you forever.

Leaning down she pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Regina's forehead. A silent thank you for staying with her, for holding her.

Regina had in fact been awake since before Emma got into the shower, woken when Emma had so _un_-skilfully tried to disentangle herself from her. She had however sensed that Emma wouldn't want to talk about the night before, at least not right away. So she had lain still as Emma proceeded to get ready, only opening her eyes when she heard the front door close.

"Henry! What are you doing here? Shouldn't Mary-Margaret have left you to school?" Emma exclaimed as she walked into the diner.

"It was a half day Emma, for teacher training, remember?"

"Oh right, yea. I remember now."

Henry gave her a look, which clearly stated that he didn't believe her, and was not amused that she had tried to pass herself off, as having remembered. It was also clearly a look that he had inherited from Regina. Henry may not be biologically Regina's son but its times like this, where Emma can so clearly see Regina's influence on the boy Henry is, and the man he will become.

"Come on; give me a break Henry, there's been a lot going on."

"Yea I guess, so what's happening with you and my mom?

"Emm, next question." Emma asked not wanting to discuss this in the middle of the diner, with David sitting right beside her.

"Okay. What's happening with Operation Hulk?"

"Operation Hulk?"

"Yea, Ruby told me you guys found a really big footprint, so Operation Hulk makes sense right?"

Ruby who had been in the middle of coming over to join Emma, Henry and Charming, promptly turned away and scooted back into the kitchen as she heard Henry's words and met Emma's angry stare, guiltily. Not to be outrun, Emma followed her through the swinging doors.

"What the hell Ruby?"

"I'm sorry Emma, it's just he can be really persistent… and then he catches you off guard with all these random questions. I didn't tell him about the body or anything like that, I promise, just the footprint."

"Okay."

"Really? Just okay."

"Look I know what Henry can be like once he gets an idea into his head, remember Operation Cobra? Just try and ignore his questions from now on, or tell him to ask me or Regina. The last thing I need is my son running around Storybrooke checking people's feet size and getting into trouble."

"Of course Ems, I promise."

"Thanks Rubes, you gonna come and sit back down now? I'm not that scary, am I? " Emma smirked, the both of them laughing as they made their way out of the kitchen and back into the diner.

The crime fighting trio then got their coffee's to go and headed over to the station, for what promised to be another long day. Henry had asked to stay in the diner and wait for Mary Margaret there, something about bird houses. Emma had agreed, once Granny had volunteered to keep an eye on him and Henry had agreed to no more Operation Hulk.

As Henry waited for his Grandmother to arrive, he subtly tried to check out the size of the other customer's feet – rationalizing that if he wasn't going looking for people, then he wasn't really breaking his promise to Emma. It was then he noticed an older man sitting in the back corner of the diner, he had seen him around a few times, but had never talked to him. In fact he couldn't remember anyone ever talking to him, including Ruby and she talked to everyone. As Henry leaned over in his chair to try and see the man's feet, the gentleman noticed he was being stared at and locked eyes with Henry. He motioned for Henry to come over and being the young hero in training that he was, he obeyed. He couldn't help but be nervous though, as the man didn't look particularly nice. His suit was old and shabby, his greying hair all over the place, as if he hadn't brushed it in a while and his eyes were scarily bloodshot. He did however, have average size feet, so Henry breathed a sigh of relief and sat down opposite the man.

"Hey. I'm Henry. What's your name?"

"I know who you are, young Henry. What I don't know is why you were staring at me?"

The man had a strange accent and it seemed to be a great effort for him to speak, as if he was very tired. At first Henry wondered how he knew who he was but with his mother's being the Evil Queen and Saviour, never mind who his grandparents where, he decided it probably wasn't that strange that he knew who he was.

"I wanted to know what size feet you had. Which fairy tale character are you?"

"Why is the size of my feet important?"

"Uhh, school project."

"I see. Is school important to you, young Henry?"

"Well it's important to my mom." Henry shrugged at this, like any eleven year old boy he didn't quite see what relevance school had in the real world.

"Which mother?" The man said, a hint of a smile on his face, which should have made him look nicer but seemed to Henry like more of a grimace, like he wasn't used to smiling a lot.

"The Evi… Regina."

"Still not quite convinced of her redemption then?"

"Emm" Henry was getting uncomfortable now, he didn't want his mother to be the Evil Queen but he had spent so long thinking of her that way, it was hard not to anymore. It was hard to remember what it had been like when he hadn't believed in the curse.

"You didn't answer my questions about who you are." Henry said trying to change the subject.

"Answer mine and I'll answer yours."

Henry was saved by the bell, as Snow choose that moment to walk into the diner, Henry didn't think he had ever been so happy to see her.

"Gotta go." Henry replied as he practically jumped out of the booth.

"Henry"

"Yea?"

"No, that's my name. My name is Henry."

"Oh, but that's my name."

"More than one person can have the same name." The man said chuckling slightly.

"Right, yea. Well I gotta go meet my grandma."

"Indeed. I'll see you around young Henry." The man said, smiling again, as he left enough money for his coffee and walked out of the diner.

It was nearly six o'clock when Emma decided that they all needed a break, a break that wasn't just sleeping.

"Guys, I've been thinking, and no Ruby it didn't hurt. We've been at this case for so long, I think we all just need a break. I think we should all just clear up here and head home, spend some time with people that aren't each other. Get some proper rest and get stuck back into it tomorrow. What you think?"

"Agreed." "Definitely." Came her immediate answers.

"Great that's it settled then."

Half an hour later and Emma and David were back at the apartment, with Emma waiting on Henry getting packed up.

"I'm ready Emma."

"That's great Kid. Let's get the show on the road, I'm starving."

"Wait, where are you two going? I'm going to make dinner now." Snow stuck her head out from her and Charming's room.

"I thought you told her Kid."

"I thought you told her."

"Em, sorry Snow but we're actually going to Regina's for dinner."

"Both of you?"

"Well, he is her son."

"No, he's your son."

"You know what I mean Snow. Let not make this a big deal." Emma pointed with her eyes to Henry. She hated fighting with Snow about Regina, but especially in front of Henry. The kid was so confused already, and her and Regina had yet to sit down and talk to him about what was actually happening between the two of them.

Snow at least conceded to that.

"Okay, well when will you be back?"

"Henry will be back tomorrow afternoon. We are both staying there tonight and Regina will take Henry to school in the morning. I'll see you at the station tomorrow David."

Snow looked like she wanted to argue but David put his hand on her back, it was no use, Emma clearly had her mind made up. It seemed that she had inherited her mother's stubbornness. He could tell now, that this, was the reason for the break. Emma had wanted to spend time with Regina and Henry.

"We'll see you tomorrow Emma. Have fun Henry." David spoke for Snow instead.

"Thanks David. Let's go Kid."

As Emma and Henry walked out of the apartment and towards the Evil Queen's house, Snow felt like she wanted to cry. She couldn't understand. Didn't want to understand what her beautiful baby girl could see in the woman who had destroyed their lives.

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**I know there wasn't much Regina/Emma interaction this chapter but the next chapter will be full of Swan-Mills family fluff and Emma will open up to Regina about her past, I just wanted to update within the two day frame... so stay tuned. Ps Please review, it makes me so happy :) Also who do you think the killer is? Any thoughts/recommendations on the story in general? **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Guys, I am so sorry for the long delay in an update. I was sick last weekend and then had an interview to prepare for but this is an extra long chapter so I hope that makes up for it. **

**Thank you all for you reviews of the last chapter, and you were correct the villain of the story is Dr Henry Jekyll/Mr Edward Hyde. **

**I was also asked if there would be any SQ flashbacks to how they started out, I'm not sure if that will fit into this story but I would be happy to do a prequel after I finished this story, as sort of how Emma is became Regina's happy ending, if there was the interest for it. **

**Enjoy :)**

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Regina was nervous, which was ridiculous, because she was Regina Mills and she didn't do nervous. People were nervous of her, not the other way round. But from the moment Emma had rang to say that she was taking the night off, and her and Henry were coming for dinner, Regina had been a bundle of nerves. She had cleaned the house to within an inch of its life, even though it had already been cleaner than most hotels probably were. She had went through fifteen, rather grand dinner menus, before deciding that this was Emma and Henry she was cooking for, not visiting royalty, so had therefore settled on Henry's favourite. And she had also changed her outfit, at least six times as well.

This needed to be perfect. It was the first time they would all be in the same room, for any length of time – and without Snow and Charming - since Emma and Regina had started this, whatever this was, and it needed to be perfect. Ever since Snow had found out about her and Emma, she had barely seen Henry. At the start she had blamed Emma for this – old habits die hard I suppose – but with all the work, Emma barely had time to eat, never mind keep her from Henry. No, all the sudden activities Henry had taken up, Regina was convinced were contrived by Snow to keep him from spending time with her. But tonight was her chance, to show him that she really had changed, that's why it needed to be perfect.

As Emma drove over to Regina's house, she couldn't help but start to get a little nervous. When she had rang Regina earlier, she had been convinced that this was a great idea, one of her best actually, but as the time drew nearer she was doubting herself. What if it didn't go as planned? Family time wasn't exactly one of her strong suits, what if she messed it up? While she was pretty sure that what her and Regina had was solid, that it was more than just a bit of fun, or let's see where this goes dating, she couldn't be sure. She'd been wrong before. She had thought that bringing Henry over was a good idea, so he could see for himself, what it meant when they said that her and Regina were getting on better now. In an ideal world, her and Regina would already have figured out what they were going to say to him, how they were going to say it, how they were going to label each other and what this meant for the future, but this was far from an ideal world. Both of them had been burned before and they were both unwilling to put themselves out there first, to label what they had, in case the world destroyed it. It also hadn't helped that Henry hadn't found out from them, that he only knew because he had walked in to hear Snow and David talking about it. When he had confronted them, Snow had confirmed that something was going on and he should ask either Emma or Regina.

Emma gulped and shivered even now, thinking about Regina's reaction when she had heard that piece of news. To say that she had been furious would have been an understatement of dramatic proportions. She had actually paced up and down the bedroom, ranting something about "_damn girl, never did learn to keep her stupid mouth shut_". Emma hadn't quite got all of it; she was too busy ducking to avoid the random bits of furniture that were being thrown about the room, as Regina struggled to contain her magic. Yes, Emma thought, this was a far from an ideal world, and a far from ideal situation. But Henry knew something was up now and while she had been able to avoid it for a few days because of the case, they needed to let him know what was happening sooner rather than later and that's why they needed tonight to be perfect. Because Emma didn't want to think about what would happen if Henry thought the same way as Snow White.

Henry could feel the nervousness coming off Emma in waves, and in turn, it was making him nervous. He hadn't heard a lot of what Snow and David had said, in fact he had let on that he had heard much more, in the hopes that someone would tell him something. So all he now knew was that something was happening between his mother's and it meant three things. One, he and Emma were now going to dinner with his mom, and if he had heard Emma correctly earlier, both of them were staying the night. Two, this may be the reason Emma hadn't been sleeping at Snow's that much, even though she said she was staying in the station due to paperwork. And three, Snow and Emma were fighting. Henry gulped; if Emma was okay, then his grandma would be happy, right? Maybe his mom had put Emma under some kind of spell? But she had promised him that she wouldn't use magic. Henry was confused but before he had time to worry anymore, they had pulled up outside the mansion. Tonight was going to be awful was his last thought as Emma knocked on the door.

Regina felt her heart leap in her chest, they were here. She knew they would both be hungry, so she had made sure the dinner was due to be ready a few minutes after they arrived. With one final check of both the dinner and her appearance, she went to answer the door. As it opened, Henry barrelled in with a quick "hey mom, I need to pee" before running to the bathroom. She had secretly wished for more but hoped his hurry was really just that he needed to use the bathroom, rather than he hadn't wanted to hug her.

It was therefore, that Emma and Regina found themselves standing, rather awkwardly at the doorway, both wanting to seek the comfort of an embrace but neither wanting to be the first to initiate it. Instead Emma walked into the hallway, while handing Regina a bottle, of what she hoped was good wine – she had nicked it from Mary-Margaret – and heading on through into the den.

A few moments later and Henry joined them. He wasted no time launching into question after question on Emma and Regina's new status.

"So what's going on with you guys?", "Is it something bad?", "Why are you and Snow fighting?" this was directed at Emma, "Have you been using magic?" this one being directed at Regina.

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down Kid. One question at a time, okay?"

"Here, why don't you sit down Henry?" Regina said. She grimaced slightly when he plonked himself down on the coffee table right in front of them. But decided this probably wasn't the best time to be worried about rules.

"Sooo…" He said, slower this time. "What's going on with you guys?"

Both Regina and Emma looked at each other before starting to answer.

"Well, Kid, its emm…"

Regina couldn't help rolling her eyes, trust Emma to be useless at this sort of thing.

"Henry, I know this is probably very strange and confusing for you, but things have changed, between Emma and I. It turns out, that what we thought was hate, wasn't…" Regina trailed off, it seemed she wasn't much better.

"We like each other, kid"

"Like your friends now?" Henry quizzed, trying to get his head round it.

"Well yea. But it's more than that, we like, like each other, yano?"

"Like Ruby and Grandma like each other, or Grandma and Grandpa like each other?"

"Like Grandma and Grandpa." Emma replied, both of them waiting with bated breath as Henry processed. Regina also felt a little sick after being compared to _Snow and Charming_, even Rumple and Belle might have been better than True Love's poster children.

"But she's the Evil Queen."

"Henry!" Emma stated in a warning tone.

"No, Emma it's okay. Henry, I understand you're worried about Emma but I would never hurt her. I would never hurt either of you. I know who I've been in the past, but I don't want to be that person anymore. I'm trying to be better. Can I have a chance to show it to you?"

Henry was confused again. Now he understood why Emma and Snow where fighting and he agreed with Snow. Didn't he? Why would Emma want to be with the Evil Queen, she was the Saviour? But his mom did sound like she meant what she said and she was trying to change. Maybe he could give her a chance.

"I guess" was his reply and it seemed like he didn't want to talk anymore.

It wasn't acceptance, it wasn't even enthusiasm, but it wasn't rejection. Regina felt it could have gone worse. Emma had been hoping for it to go a little better. So as Regina walked into the kitchen to get dinner ready, she pulled Henry aside.

"Look Kid, I get that this is tough, but someone once told me that evil isn't born, it's made, if that's true then it can be unmade as well. If you believe that your mom is the Evil Queen, then you also believe she was once a young girl who saved your Grandma's life. I know that girl is still in there, she just needs someone to believe in her. She just needs us to believe in her. Can you give that girl tonight? Let her show you she's in there. After all, isn't that what good guys are supposed to do, give everyone a chance."

Henry supposed that Emma had a point.

"I think I can do that, yea."

Emma smiled then and Henry couldn't help but smile back, his blonde mother's grins were infectious. They then heard a shriek from the kitchen and both ran in to investigate.

"Regina! What's wrong?"

"What does it look like Miss Swan?" Regina retorted, as she tried to dissipate the smoke, that was now bellowing out of the oven. It seems that when she had turned the dinner down to keep it warm, she had in fact turned it up. "Dinner's ruined!"

"It's not ruined, it's just… ah… well done" Emma took the oven gloves off Regina and braved the smoke to get the dinner out of the oven. As she did so the smoke alarm went off, which only served to further frazzle, Regina's already frazzled nerves. As the former Queen waved a tea towel below the alarm, she called to Henry to open the doors and windows. Once the fire alarm had been dealt with, the trio gathered round the remnants of their dinner.

"Well it doesn't look too..." Regina's eyes flashed dangerously, as she silently dared Emma to continue that sentence. Emma then decided to go for a more honest and humorous approach.

"Well if I could work out what it was supposed to be, I'm sure it would be lovely. What do you think Henry? I'm thinking meatloaf, no, pasta bake, no that's not it, tacos."

"No way. What about stew or a roast?" Henry said. Before remembering that his mom probably wasn't too happy about dinner being ruined and definitely wouldn't like their game.

While Henry was right and Regina was quite devastated that dinner had been ruined, as she looked into Emma's eyes she found all her anger at the situation disappearing. As Emma found her hand under the breakfast bar and squeezed it lightly, she realised they weren't laughing at her and if she reacted the right way to this, then it would be okay. It wasn't easy, anger and rage were emotions so easy for her to summon, and she could feel a biting remark sitting on the edge of her tongue. It was how she always would have reacted – _always?_ – again a voice echoed from the deep crevices of her mind, no not always, she thought back to the young girl she had once been, she wouldn't have got mad about this. So with great effort Regina swallowed the insult on her tongue, and instead, replied to Henry.

"I think we can all clearly see that its soup, dear. Now shall we order something in?"

Henry was surprised by his mother's response but pleased. Maybe Emma was right and she just needed a chance.

"Pizza." Came the two resounding voices from behind Regina, as she put what had been lasagne in the bin and reached for the phone.

"You want pepperoni, Henry?" Regina said as she dialled the number.

"Yes but no anchovies." Regina had to smile at that, he had been saying the same thing to her every time they got pizza since he could pronounce anchovies. Regina didn't think they had even ever had anchovies on a pizza, he had just decided he didn't like them.

As Emma came back in from the bathroom, Regina motioned to her for her order.

"Large vegetarian with chicken." At this, both Henry and Regina rolled their eyes at exactly the same time, only Emma would order a vegetarian pizza – with chicken. "Oh and no anchovies." This caught Regina a bit; it was small things like this that showed that biologically at least, Henry really was Emma's son.

As they waited for their pizza to arrive, they all piled into the den to play video games, well Regina watched as Emma and Henry played. Sitting on her chair, sipping on a glass of wine to calm herself down, the brunette sat with her full attention on the two people sitting on the couch. Both had identical looks of concentration on their faces, as their fingers flew over the keys of the controller. Occasional shouts of "your cheating" or "no fair" rang out until Emma rose up from the couch, fist in the air, obviously victorious.

"Rematch, Rematch!" Henry called out

"No problem, Kid. Just let me go get another beer, it'll give you time to prepare to lose… again."

As Emma left, Henry turned to Regina "You have to help me win!"

"What can I do?"

"Distract her."

"Okay." Regina readily agreed, after all, she would walk through hell and back if Henry asked her too.

As the race progressed, Regina waited for Henry's signal to show that this was the best time to distract Emma. Once she got the signal, she walked round the back of the couch and leaned over so her mouth was leaning against Emma's ear. She was on the other side to Henry, so that if he looked over, it would just look like she was poking Emma or whispering to her quite normally. Instead her fingers tucked Emma's hair behind her ear, the blonde jumped a little at how close Regina was but held her gaze on the screen.

"Did I tell you how sexy you look tonight?" Regina's voice was husky, her hot breath softly blowing over Emma's neck, making her shiver. After placing a light kiss on her neck, the brunette then took the blonde's earlobe in her mouth and sucked gently. With that, Emma was gone, her eyes closed and Henry raced on to victory. Henry jumped up and down in delight, but his mother's were lost in their own world as Emma turned and pulled Regina into a kiss.

"Hi" Emma whispered as she pulled back slightly from the short but sweet kiss.

"Hi yourself" Regina whispered back, smiling. It seemed both of them had wanted to do that since Emma got there.

Both of them, then turned to look at Henry, who was standing with a bit of a dazed expression on his face, but before anything could be said, the doorbell rang with dinner. _'Saved by the bell'_ all three of them thought.

Luckily the tension didn't last long. Throughout dinner the conversion flowed surprisingly easily, with Henry chatting away about school and his bird houses and his sword fighting, in a way that Regina hadn't heard since before he had started believing in the curse. Emma was also ready to fill any silence left by Henry, filling the table with laughter through quirky tales of her bounty hunter days.

As Regina let the chatter flow around her, she realised she could get used to this, this having dinner as a family. Family, the word filled her with both excitement and fear. All she had ever really wanted was a family to call her own, but anytime she had gotten close to any semblance of happiness, it had been ripped away from her. What made this time any different? Would she survive if Emma and Henry were taken from her? Or worse, they decided to leave her? No, she didn't think she would survive this time, didn't think she would want to. It scared her, the idea of needing people, of needing Emma. It terrified her how quickly Emma had claimed her heart, as if the stone walls she had spent years building around it, where nothing but bits of paper in the wind. And the fear that made her heart ache worst of all was the thought that they didn't need her, not like she needed them. That Snow White was right, maybe they were her happy ending, but what if she wasn't theirs?

"Earth to Mom!"

"Sorry, dear. What did you say?"

"I asked if we could have ice cream for dessert… Sooo can we?"

"Can we please." Regina corrected automatically.

"Please."

"Of course sweetie. Go get it out of the freezer."

Henry didn't need telling twice and jumped up to go get the dessert.

"Coming guys?"

"Be there in a minute Kid... you okay?" She now addressed Regina, once Henry was out of the room. "You seemed like you were a million miles away there."

"I'm fine Miss Swan. Why wouldn't I be?!" Came the brunette's terse response, as she stood and started piling up the dishes on the table.

"Hey." Emma said, as turning in her chair, she pulled Regina by the waist until she was standing in between Emma's legs, with the blondes hands on either side of her hips. "Don't Miss Swan me, what's wrong?"

Hoping to deflect Regina replied with "I thought you liked it when I called you Miss Swan." While running her finger along the column of Emma's throat and down to the curve of her tank top.

"Don't deflect Regina, please."

Regina sighed then, briefly wondering if Emma knew that her please's packed almost as powerful a punch as Rumpelstiltskin's had during the curse.

"I was thinking." When no quip was made about this being a new concept for Emma, she knew that the thoughts hadn't been good.

"About?" Emma prompted.

"This" Regina indicated to the room and the table. "All of us being here, like a…"

"Family" Emma finished for her. "But that's a good thing Regina, this is a good thing."

"It's a great thing, until it ends, like it always does." She whispered the last part, almost to herself but Emma still heard her.

"Ends? You planning on breaking up with me?"

Regina looked into Emma's eyes then, expecting to find humour. Emma wasn't great at having serious conversions, so she tended to use humour to diffuse them. But she wasn't laughing, she was frowning. Wait! She actually thought Regina would be the one to break up with her? This realisation caught Regina off guard. She knew that she could be a bitch, she knew that their fights could make the Ogres war look like a picnic, but she didn't get into relationships with just anyone. When she did, it was for the long haul, didn't Emma know that this, they, were everything to her? That she had put everything she had on the line, including her heart, when she had opened up to the daughter of her most hated enemy.

She heard Henry calling from the kitchen, something about chocolate syrup. She leant down and pressed her lips to Emma's, her fingers running through her hair. Pulling back she whispered against her lips.

"I don't think it will be me doing the breaking."

As she went to move, Emma pulled her back again.

"Why would I break up with you? You're perfect."

"How very _charming_ of you dear. But one day you will see me as the rest of the world sees me, as our son sees me. One day, maybe tomorrow, maybe a year from now, but one day, you will look at me and see" At this point Emma interrupted her.

"You're not the Evil Queen Regina, I don't see her when I look at you now and I won't ever see her."

"I may not be the Evil Queen anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm not a terrible person, it doesn't mean that you don't deserve someone so much more than who I am. Someone as pure of heart and as full of light as you are."

Emma laughed then, a laugh far too jaded and bitter for someone like Emma.

"I'm not pure Regina, I haven't been for a long time."

"You have no idea how wrong you are about that, I can see it in you, I can feel it." Regina put her hand over Emma's heart then, felt the strong beat of it against her palm, it was possibly one of her most favourite sounds, the steady thump, thump of life that Emma had within her.

"MOMMMM, EMMMMAAAAA, are you guys coming for dessert, or not? Your ice creams are gonna melt!"

"Way to break a moment Kid" Emma murmured and Regina laughed then. "Guess we should head in…. but we are talking about this later, Miss Mills!"

"Oh are you planning on laying down the law Sheriff?"

"Indeed I am, I'll even use my handcuffs if necessary" Emma smirked, she wanted to lighten the mood before they went into Henry.

"Do you promise?" Regina winked and then moved off into the kitchen. "Bring the dishes with you Sheriff."

Man she was whipped, Emma thought as she continued after Regina, while trying to balance all the dishes.

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**So? Thoughts? You know how I love reviews :) :) :) **

**Ps this is not the family dinner finished, its just once I started typing it came out much longer than I originally thought it would be so I split it in two so I could update quicker. And just to let you know I've already started the next chapter so it will be back to a two day turnover. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, again thanks for the reviews, follows and faves. I totally appreciate each one. Esp all of you that take the time to review, it really makes my day and totally helps the inspiration process. **

**Enjoy.**

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Dessert was a rather messy affair, since Henry insisted that they all make their own 'super sundaes' as he called them. It turns out that messiness may well be genetic, Regina thought wryly as she looked on at the utter devastation that Emma and Henry had caused over her breakfast bar. Peanuts, jelly tots, chocolate buttons, sprinkles and all kinds of syrups were trailed over the surface. While this would have normally sent Regina off the deep end, after all, order and control was how she had kept her life from falling apart, she couldn't summon the energy to care about any of that, as she saw the big smiles on the faces of the two most important people in her world.

She could admit it now, at least to herself, that Emma was that significant, and that she mattered that much to Regina. She had often been jealous of how Henry looked at Emma, like his world revolved around her, like she was a hero that could solve any bad thing that had ever happened in the world. But as she stood there now, she could see it, had been seeing it over time, mostly since the curse broke, but even before that, though she hadn't really let herself think about it at the time. At the mine when she had saved Henry and Archie, when she had saved her from the fire, when she had stood up to Gold at the election. And then after, when she had woken Henry up with True Love's Kiss and broke the curse, when she had protected her from the mob and then the wraith, when she had pushed her out of the way of its path and fell through the portal.

All of those big actions where what made her the Saviour in the eyes of Storybrooke and even to Henry, but Regina knew that as amazing as those heroic actions were, that wasn't where Emma's true power lay. Her true power came in inspiring others to take control of their own destinies. Her belief that people were not, as fairytales would have everyone believe, just good or evil. That people came in shades of grey and that evil could do good and more controversially good could do evil. Emma had grew up in a world where the notions of good and evil where much more blurred than in her world. And because of this she didn't buy into the fairytale "they're just evil" crap that the rest of the town advocated.

'_Evil doesn't choose evil for evils sake, it always has a reason,_ _even if that reason is just that they want to watch the world burn'_ Emma had once said to her. It was near the beginning of their relationship, when it had been more about angry sex and using each other as verbal punching bags, than anything else. They had been lying on Regina's bed, coming down from what had been an explosive coming together, all teeth biting and nails scratching. They had barely made it into the bedroom and hadn't even bothered removing more clothes than absolutely necessary. Regina wasn't even sure now how they had got onto the topic of evil but she remembered asking the blonde then, if she thought that Regina wanted the world to burn.

"_No" _Emma had replied "_No, I think you want what everyone wants, and you were trying to get it, you just got very lost along the way._"

_"And what would you possibly know about what I want, Miss Swan?!"_

_"I know you want to be happy, I know you want to be loved, to be wanted." _She had hesitated then as if unsure that she should even continue, but she did and it had changed everything _"And I'm gonna let you into a little secret, I want that for you too."_

She had up and left then, without saying another word. Regina hadn't tried to stop her and they had hadn't seen each other for almost a week after, as if by not seeing each other, they could just forget about it. And Regina had tried, she really had and Emma had tried, really, really hard but fate it seems had other ideas, because as hard as they tried, they couldn't get the other off their mind. Both finding that the part they were missing the most, wasn't the shouting, or the actual sex, but how, when they were together, even if it was for just a moment as they screamed out their climax's while clinging to each other, they didn't feel so alone.

Yes, Regina thought, she could understand why Henry looked at her the way he did, she was pretty amazing, and the part that made Regina's heart break and made her smile at the same time, was that Emma hadn't a clue. She had no idea, and she deserved to know Regina thought, even if her ignorance to her own importance was part of what made her so special.

"So what you wanna do now Henry?" Emma asked as they supposedly helped Regina, but seemed to be doing more hindering, with the clearing up.

Henry had originally thought they would just watch a movie after dinner, and while he still wanted to do that, he was actually having a lot of fun just hanging out with both his mom's and he wanted to do an activity which involved more than them all sitting on the couch.

"Can we play a board game and then watch a movie?" He asked, Emma looked over to Regina for guidance, she didn't have a problem with it but Regina was likely to have rules about bedtimes and stuff.

"Yes, we can, but not monopoly Henry." Regina answered.

"Aww, why not? I love monopoly."

"I know sweetie, but it's too long a game, if you want to watch a movie as well. So it's either monopoly and no movie or a shorter game and a movie. It's your choice."

Emma looked at Regina in awe, she forgot sometimes, how good a mom she was. She had never had that, someone who would automatically know what she would want to play monopoly, someone who would compromise with her instead of just saying no or telling her to get out of their face, she also couldn't remember ever getting a choice of anything. Growing up in foster care meant that nothing was ever really yours, not toys and definitely not choices of games or movies. It was times like these that she knew she had made the right choice in giving Henry up, he had needed someone like Regina and back then she couldn't be what he needed her to be. She wasn't even sure she could be what he needed her to be now.

"Okaaayyy, can we play trivial pursuit then?"

"Of course, you go set it up and we'll finish up here."

Emma groaned inwardly, how the hell did she manage to have a kid who enjoyed educational games? She hated them. She didn't think anyone who hadn't even graduated high school would like them. It not that she thought she was stupid, she knew she wasn't but these games were all about stupid general knowledge. Stuff that she was pretty sure no one ever needed to know, expect when you played these stupid games.

"You okay?" She heard Regina say.

"Yea course babe." Emma replied, using Henry being out of the room to pull Regina into a kiss.

This kiss was longer than any they had shared that evening and the passion between them quickly grew as they gravitated closer to each other. Soon their bodies were flush against each other and Emma's hands started wandering down, over the back of Regina's silk shirt and stopped just above her ass. Regina took control of the kiss and her tongue demanded entry into Emma's mouth, the blonde gladly opened up to the brunette and their tongues danced together in a tune only they knew. Emma could feel Regina's fingers at the hem of her tank top, brushing against her skin as they delved under, nails lightly scratching at the toned, flat abs underneath. Emma groaned into their kiss and her hands moved down onto Regina's ass cupping it over the tight pencil skirt she was wearing. Kneading her fingers, it was Regina's turn to moan, breaking away from Emma slightly as she arched her back, pushing her pelvis into Emma's.

"Fuck, Regina." Emma moaned out.

It was almost as if Emma voice broke the spell they were under, as they quickly realised exactly where they were and who exactly was in the next room. They pulled apart, grinning rather sheepishly at each other, as Emma pulled her tank top down and Regina patted at imaginary wrinkles on her skirt.

"I should have just come over on my own." Emma mumbled as they walked into the dining room where Henry had set up. Regina could tell that she didn't really mean it, she was just frustrated and she didn't blame her, Regina was now uncomfortably aroused and the view she was getting of Emma's ass in those skin tight jeans, wasn't helping the situation at all.

Still she was looking forward to playing a board game with Henry, it was something they used to do a lot and she was both surprised and pleased that he had asked to do it again.

After they had chosen their colours, Henry was blue, Emma green and Regina yellow. They started off. Emma had to admit it was a lot more fun that she had thought it was going to be. Most of her questions had been on American geography or sports so she had gotten them all right so far – after all you didn't spend most of your life moving from place to place without knowing your north from south, it was also surprising how much time her marks spent in sports bars.

Regina and Henry also seemed to be having fun together as they laughed over old questions that they had asked each other in previous games. Emma knew she should probably feel left out by this, but honestly looking at the smiles on their faces and she really didn't care. Regina looked breath taking like this and Emma could feel her breath hitching in her throat just from looking at her. Emma must have been staring because Regina looked up from the card she was reading out to Henry and locked eyes with her. _Uh oh totally busted_ Emma thought to herself and didn't even try and pretend that she hadn't been staring. She thought Regina was going to pull her out on it, but to her surprise she just smiled at her – that thousand watt smile she had over ever seen directed at Henry - and then reached over and linked their hands together, fingers intertwining and squeezed lightly. If Henry noticed, he didn't comment on it and Regina continued to read out from the card. Turning it over to get the answers proved to be difficult but she didn't remove her hand from Emma's, this gave Emma a warm feeling in her stomach that she found hard to identify but that she definitely decided that she could get used to.

Of course this was Emma's life, so things couldn't go smoothly forever. By her 12th question she was starting to get frustrated, she had gotten the last four questions wrong and she hadn't a clue about this one either. As her anxiety at being seen as stupid by either her son, or worse Regina increased, she started to fidget more and she pulled her hand away from Regina's. It didn't help that Regina and Henry had yet to get a single question wrong – granted Henry was answering from the kids section but still. Emma hazarded a random guess and to her pure disbelief it was basically right and she got the stupid slice of pie. It made her feel a little better but how long was this game gonna go on for, she had never played it before so she hoped it was over soon.

While the game had started off great, Regina could tell that Emma was getting more and more anxious as it progressed. At first she was at a loss as to why, but then she remembered the groan earlier, that Emma had so carefully distracted her from, and she witnessed how at each question Emma got wrong, she seemed to get quieter and quieter, no longer joking around or making faces at Henry across the table. It came to her then, as she remembered Emma's file, that she hadn't graduated high school. Not that Regina thought for one second that this fact made Emma any less smart than anyone else but as she looked across the table at the blonde Saviour, she realised that just maybe, Emma thought it did.

As Henry asked her the next question, she made a spilt second decision, and gave the wrong answer.

"Yea that's ri… uh no actually that's wrong mom."

Henry and Emma looked up at her in surprise. Henry didn't think he had ever heard his mom give a wrong answer. Sure when he was younger, his mom had come up with all sorts of silly rules that allowed him to have extra guesses or see part of the answer, but she had never actually got an answer wrong herself. In fact Henry was pretty sure, even now, that Evil Queen or not, his mom was one of the smartest people he knew.

"Well this game must be rigged if even Regina Mills gets a question wrong, I was beginning to think you were jinxing all my cards Henry." Emma laughed and relaxed a bit. Which was, Regina thought the intention; she even found that she didn't mind Emma thinking she had got a question wrong.

"Yes, well it looks like I'll have to brush up on my history a little bit. Why don't we watch the movie now instead? Henry is ahead anyway, he wins."

Emma readily agreed, which Regina knew she would, now that Regina had got a question wrong.

Henry agreed as well, no longer having any interest in the game, but rather in finding out why his mom had given the wrong answer when he knew that she knew it.

While Emma went to leave the pizza boxes to the bin and pull it out for collection the next day, he and his mom went into the kitchen to get some popcorn ready for the movie.

"Why did you give the wrong answer?"

Regina laughed.

"Sweetie, I would have given the right answer if I had known it."

"But you did know it, I know you knew it."

"Oh yes?"

"Yes, cos the answer was that word I couldn't say properly for ages. I remember from the last time we played."

Damn! Sometimes - even though she was so proud of him - it was very annoying to have such a smart child.

"I don't understand mom, why would you lie? You said you wouldn't lie anymore!"

Bending down so she was eye level with Henry, she took his hand.

"And I haven't lied. Henry, getting that answer wrong wasn't really lying. I just forgot the answer that's all."

He pulled away from her and she felt her heart break, they had been doing so well tonight.

"You're lying now. It doesn't make any sense. Why would you get your answers wrong? I mean, I know Emma was getting her answers wrong, but, but…."

Regina watched as he quietly came to the conclusion himself.

"Ohhh…. Emma felt bad… and you wanted her to…. feel better?"

"Yes." She answered quietly, almost a whisper.

"She only got the answers wrong cos she didn't finish school."

"HENRY MILLS." Regina wanted to shout at him but kept it to a stage whisper shout because she didn't want to alert Emma. "Whether or not your mother finished school has nothing to do with how smart she is. She is incredibly smart and trivial pursuit is no indicator either way."

Henry was shocked into silence, first of all his mom never really shouted at him anymore, she pretty much let him do whatever he wanted and second she was defending Emma to him. She called her smart, incredibly smart, well of course she was, he hadn't meant it like that.

"Wait mom, I'm sorry. I know that. I didn't mean it like that, I promise. I'm just saying that she might not have learnt some of that stuff, but you don't really need that stuff anyway. I mean, Emma knows lots of cool stuff that isn't in trivial pursuit, like how to shoot a gun and how to find people; she's really good at that."

"Yes she is." Regina agreed. "And I know you didn't mean it Henry, but you have to think before you speak sometimes sweetie. You don't want to hurt someone's feelings without meaning too."

"I know. I'm sorry. So did you really get an answer wrong, just to make Emma feel better?"

"Well I was getting a bit tired of the game as well."

Henry knew what wasn't exactly true, but this time he didn't call his mom out on it. As Regina busied herself getting the popcorn and drinks ready, Henry watched his mom, like he used to do when he was really young and she was the centre of his world, while mulling over this new information. A half buried memory came to the surface, he had been young maybe only 5 or 6, but he had fallen off the swing at the park and cut his hand. A big splinter of wood had got stuck under his thumb and it was pain like he had never felt before. To get it out, Regina was going to have to use a needle and stick it into his finger. He had been so scared; that he had run away and under his bed to hide from her. But instead of being angry, his mom had got a flashlight and got under the bed with him, she had let him cry and then she had told him that she would do it on herself first, so he could see that the pain would go away quickly, and then he could decide if it was okay for her to do it on him. And she had, she had stuck that needle into her thumb and cut a line just like his. They were both left with scars but she had told him it was a warrior's wound and he should be proud of himself.

He can't believe he had forgotten that. How many more times like that had he forgotten, when he had started to believe she was the Evil Queen? Maybe Emma was right and that girl was in there, maybe she had been with him all along.

"Hey mom?"

"Yes dear." Regina said turning with the bowls of popcorn to face him.

"You still have your warrior wound?"

Regina looked shocked at the mention of it; it had been so long since Henry had talked about any of the things they had done together before _that book_ had found its way into their lives. Yet she set down the bowls and allowed him to look at her thumb, which if you knew where to look you could still see the thin line. He smiled up at her and then threw his arms around her middle, she smiled and closed her arms around him, leaning her chin on the top of his head.

"I'm glad you're not the Evil Queen anymore mom."

Regina felt like her heart could burst with happiness in that moment.

"Me too, sweetheart, me too."

And in that moment she found that she meant it, completely and utterly. Neither of the brunettes noticed the presence of another person standing just outside the doorway of the kitchen. She had only been standing there a few moments, had only heard something about warrior wounds, but she had sensed that mother and son were having a badly needed bonding moment so she had kept her distance, giving them space. As she watched the two of them embrace, the saviour felt such a surge of protective love for the two figures beat through her heart, that she was sure she would pass out with the strength of it.

Taking a few steps back, she then entered the kitchen as if she hadn't just been stalking them and the two broke apart.

"Ready for the movie guys?" She asked, ruffling Henry's hair as she walked past and grabbed the bowls of popcorn.

"Yip, all set, what are we gonna watch?" Henry questions.

"You can decide, kid."

As they all moved into den, Henry went over to the pile of DVDs while Regina and Emma got settled on the couch.

"Okay we're watching Toy Story 3."

Regina smiled, Henry was obsessed with Toy Story or at least he had been before the curse, he had spent hours outside his bedroom, trying to listen and see if his toys were moving.

"3? I haven't seen the first two."

At Henry's horrified expression, Emma laughed.

"I'm kidding, well at the very least, I've seen the first one, an I'm pretty sure I seen the second one on a plane or something. Relax Henry."

As Henry put the DVD in and set up the tv, he yawned and then tried to cover it up before his mom could see. She squinted her eyes at him but let it go. Then he came over and sat on the other side of Regina, so she was in between him and Emma.

As the movie progressed and the popcorn long eaten, Emma started to fidget, she couldn't get comfortable, her legs were too long and she didn't want to put them up on Regina's coffee table – heaven forbid she did that. Without even taking her eyes of the screen, Regina pulled at Emma's legs until they lay across her lap. By the end of the movie Henry had fallen asleep and was now curled up at Regina's side, his head on top of Regina and Emma's legs. Emma sat up a bit, careful not to jostle her legs. Regina smiled down at the sight in her lap.

"I don't know how he sleeps like that. It can't be comfortable."

Emma laughed.

"Yea, that he gets from me. I can sleep anywhere, anytime."

Regina shook him gently.

"Sweetie, you need to go to bed."

"Too tired" was his mumbled reply.

"Here" Emma said as she extracted her legs and stood up, she then leant down and picked him up. Thin arms automatically wrapped round her neck and his legs wrapped round her waist. He wasn't the lightest thing she had ever lifted, but he wasn't the heaviest and she would be able to make it up the stairs with him alright. Regina followed her, opening the doors and then pulling down Henrys bed clothes, so Emma could lay him down. Once she had put him in bed, she automatically stood back to allow Regina to tuck him in, but she felt a hand push into her back.

"Go on." Regina whispered.

It wasn't like she had never put him to bed before, he was staying with her. But somehow, in his childhood home, with Regina beside her, it felt different.

For one, she was actually putting him into bed, instead of just letting him do it and then popping in to check on him. And second, he was practically asleep and in this, he looked so young, so vulnerable and so trusting. Like he truly believed that they would keep him safe from everything. She pulled the covers round him and tucked him in, in a way no one had ever done for her. Then she leant down and kissed his forehead, mumbling into his hair.

"G'night Kid."

As she stood up, Regina came forward and she thought for a second she was gonna show her that she had done it wrong or something. But instead she leant down just like she had and kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight my little warrior. Sleep tight."

As they walked to the door and Regina turned off the lamp they heard a sleepy.

"Night Mom, Night Emma. I love you guys."

"We love you too Henry." Regina replied for the both of them.

Emma was too overcome with emotion to say anything. So Regina just took her hand and led her into the bedroom. Tonight, she thought, as she seen a smile that left her dazed with its brilliance appear on Emma's face, had indeed been perfect, ruined dinner and all.

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**Please, please, please review, it makes me oh so happy and im not above begging for it apparently lol. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Let me know! Any ideas are welcome. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys. Thank you all so much for your reviews for the last chapter, I loved hearing which bits you liked best so YAY :)**

**For some reason this chapter really took it out of me and I went back and forth a lot with it, so bare with me.. word of warning this chapter is one of the reasons this fic is an M rating so there is mature themes throughout. **

**Enjoy!**

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Emma found herself standing rather stupidly in the middle of Regina's bedroom, as the former Queen went through her nightly routine. She could feel something bubbling in her chest, it felt wrong, no wait, it was just unfamiliar. She was happy, truly happy and she couldn't remember the last time, if there even was a last time, that she had felt this way.

It's not that Emma had spent her life being sad, she hadn't, she just hadn't spent her life being overly happy either. She had instead, spent her life being, surviving, existing, and moving on before she let herself attach to anyone or anything. The only person she had ever really connected with, at least romantically, was Neal and even then, while she had loved him, of that she had no doubt. She had never once felt the need to tell him about her past, never felt compelled to share with him all of herself. She had loved him because he had loved her. At the time, he had been her chance at stability, in a world, that for Emma, was constantly throwing her curve balls. Neal was the first person Emma had let herself truly trust in a long time, and the result was Emma had been left, alone, in jail, and pregnant.

With Neal she had loved and been abandoned, trusted and been betrayed, let him in only for him to take parts of her with him when he left. After that she had never liked to feel extremes of emotion, extremes were dangerous because you couldn't control your actions, you let your heart rule your head and you ended up drowning because of it.

Her face clouded over as her mind slipped back in time, back to when her life had been governed by extremes of emotion, fear, pain, hurt, back to when she had needed to stop feeling at all if she was going to survive.

The brunette had finished her routine and was now wearing a very short, very skimpy baby blue silk nightdress, the fact that Emma didn't even notice, as lost in her memories as she was, didn't escape Regina. Regina could feel the atmosphere in the room shift as Emma lost the smile she had been wearing since Henry's room. Whatever Emma was thinking of wasn't pleasant, she summarised as she looked into eyes that had turned a stormy grey colour.

"Emma, darling." Regina whispered softly, careful not to startle the blonde. She cupped Emma's face in her hands as she stroked her thumb over the high cheekbones. Gradually Emma came back to her, her eyes refocusing as Regina pulled her back from the memories that threatened to sallow her whole.

"Oh, hey. Sorry." Emma backed away from Regina's touch and sat down on the edge of the bed. Regina tried not to feel rejected by this, and sat down beside her. She sat down close, but not so close as they were touching, wanting to give Emma space if she needed it.

"Where did you go?" She asked.

"Somewhere horrible." Emma replied, not noticing how Regina stiffened at the phrase. Regina had read the book; she knew that even though she had said it, it wasn't written in the book itself. She knew that Emma wasn't actually throwing her words back in her face, but it felt like it.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Regina knew she had to ask, even though she now felt quite sick and actually kind of hoped the answer would be no.

"No." Emma replied, and although that was what Regina had wanted her to say, even she didn't believe it.

"Maybe you should anyway."

Emma looked at her then, turning so she faced her. At this point she took in the skimpy nightdress and smiled.

"Dressed to impress, Madame Mayor?" She whispered huskily, even though Regina wasn't technically the Mayor anymore.

"As always Sheriff, though maybe we should go back to the situation at hand."

"I have a better idea for my hands." Emma smirked as she trailed a hand up Regina's thigh and under the hem of her nightdress, her fingers skimmed over Regina's panty covered sex and then back down to the knee. As she moved in to kiss Regina she was pushed away.

"What the hell, Regina?"

"I have no desire to be your distraction Miss Swan."

"Well in that nightdress, you are pretty distracting babe." Emma laughed lightly and leaned in again but her attempt at humour fell flat as Regina moved away slightly and her eyes remained cold. "Oh come on, you're not a distraction Regina. We just had a great night, I thought you'd be into it."

Getting up from the bed and walking over to the window, Regina turned to face the now standing Sheriff.

"I would have 'been into it' as you say Sheriff, expect that the only reason _you're _in to it, is because you don't want to talk about whatever it is that's really bothering you!"

"That's not fair."

"I agree it's not fair! On me! You just want to forget and I will not be used like that."

"I'm not using you!"

"Like hell you aren't, anytime we get on the subject of anything remotely personal, and you use it as the perfect excuse to start feeling me up… Just talk to me."

"You said I didn't have to talk about it if I didn't want to! Now who's being unfair?"

Both of them could feel their tempers rising.

"Well you were the one who said you would talk about it in the first place. I'm only trying to help you."

"You can't help me."

"Fine Miss Swan don't talk about it then!"

"Fine, I won't!"

Silence filled up the room, the only sound the tick tock of Regina's bedside clock. The minutes past and the only movement was Emma sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

"You're acting like a spoilt brat. Who knew that was genetic?!"

The question was rhetorical but Emma glared at Regina anyway. Regina, meanwhile was struggling to contain how hurt she was by the way Emma was acting towards her. She was the Evil Queen and Evil Queens didn't care about people like Emma Swan. Only she was trying not to be the Evil Queen anymore and she did care about Emma. She hated seeing her like this, so obviously upset at something, and she couldn't help her if she didn't know what was wrong. She also hated how upset she herself was getting, how easily Emma had gotten under her skin. How worthless she felt because she couldn't help her. So she done what always came easy to her, she went on the defensive. She buried that hurt and moulded it into something far more familiar to her; anger, because Regina, unlike Emma, lived her life swinging from one extreme to the next, she had known nothing else, only ever learning how to hide it but always feeling it.

Regina finally spoke again, though this time, her voice was low and dangerous, barely containing the anger that now raged below the surface.

"Fine Sheriff. If you want me to be your distraction, I'll be your distraction."

She sauntered slowly over to Emma and then straddled her hips. Wrapping one of her arms around Emma's neck, she took one of the blonde's hands and shoved it under the bottom of her nightdress.

"Regina, stop." Emma tried to pull away but Regina held her firmly in place, with a strength that defied her small frame.

"O come now Sheriff, isn't this what you wanted? To fuck me?" Regina's breath was hot in Emma's ear, as she swiped her tongue up Emma's neck and across her jawline. Emma moaned despite herself. "Or would you rather I fucked you first?"

As Emma looked into Regina's eyes then, she couldn't see her, she couldn't see her Regina. This Regina's eyes were cold and dark and flat, and then she laughed and her laugh was bitter and mocking.

"And now you see her, don't you? I told you, you would."

"Why?"

"Because this is all you want of me. Because it seems, Saviour, that the Evil Queen is all your family ever really wants me to be, a villain so they can play the perfect heroes. Either that or someone who will mind their child and then lie on her back in their bed. And that is what you want me to do, isn't it? Be a good little mommy to Henry and then spread my legs for you after?"

"NO! Of course it not Regina!" Again Emma tried to move and again Regina held her there, losing herself to the darkness within her. She moved Emma's hand further up her thigh and pressed it against her panties.

"Just fuck me, take whatever it is you want Saviour… after all your grandfather did."

"NOOOOO!" Emma pushed Regina around and back onto the bed, standing up and walking backwards until her back hit the wall. "Don't you dare Regina, I am nothing like him. I don't take things from people". She was pacing up and down the bottom of the bed now, obviously distressed.

"But you don't give any of yourself either." Regina's voice was soft again and as Emma looked across the room at her, sitting up in the middle of the bed, she could see her Regina again.

"What's that's supposed to mean?"

"You have a wall around you Emma and I don't know how to break it down, and I understand, I do. I know all about protecting yourself from getting hurt. But it's supposed to be different with me. You asked me to let you in and I did, but you… you don't ever let me in. You won't ever give any more than you possibly have to."

Regina's voice caught at the end and her eyes started to fill with tears, which she desperately tried to blink away.

"Oh babe, please don't cry."

"I'm not crying Miss Swan." But the brunette's voice had lost its bite; there was no venom in the words, just a deep tiredness to them.

Emma walked closer, slowly, carefully and sat at the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you even know what you're saying sorry for Emma?"

"All of it, I'm sorry for all of it.

"…"

"I… it's just… Regina I'm… I can't do this. I just can't be who you need me to be. I'm sorry."

And with those words, Regina felt as though her heart had been ripped out of her chest and the irony of that, wasn't lost on her. Again as Emma left the bedroom, she didn't try and stop her, even though every fibre in her being was pushing for her to do so, to beg her to stay. However she didn't have the strength to stop the sob that wracked her body as Emma walked out the door. She tried to contain it, tried to once again pull out the Evil Queen in herself. After all the last thing she needed was Emma seeing her a weak, crying mess but she couldn't help it, and as she cried to the sounds of Emma's footsteps walking away, all she could hear was her mother's voice ringing in her head _'Love is weakness, Regina, only power lasts forever'. _

Emma tried desperately to ignore the sobs coming from Regina's room, her hands clenching together almost painfully as she fought the desire to run back into the room. As she got to the end of the hall, she couldn't hear them anymore. At first she thought they had stopped but then she realised that Regina's room was probably soundproof, or else they totally would have woken up Henry. As she walked down the stairs, each step grew heavier than the one before, she didn't understand, usually when things got too much, she ran as she always did, and it felt better. The minute she decided she was getting out of a place, it was already out of her head, so why did she feel so guilty now? She pushed that feeling aside and tried to focus on her anger at Regina for accusing her of such things, as if she only wanted her for her body?!

She pulled the front door open and welcomed the cold night air that hit her, it made her shiver slightly but also helped clear her head a little. What had she forgotten? Before her mind could logically go to jacket or car keys though, another voice jumped out at her and whispered _'your heart'_. She paused then, because her mind hadn't pictured Henry when the voice had whispered your heart but instead Regina had popped into her head. That's ridiculous. She just liked her; she didn't love her like that. In that, whole, stupid, you're my world crap that everyone in this town went on about. She just wanted her to be happy… _because she makes you happy, _the voice finished off for her. Great! She was finally going crazy, she thought, but that didn't stop her from taking a seat on the front step of Regina's house and thinking.

She tried to make sense of all the emotions that Regina created in her, but the truth was she couldn't. For what felt like the first time in her life, with Regina, Emma felt everything in extremes. Even before they had started having sex, it was from the first moment they had met. Emma half smiled as she remembered being in the town only a few days and taking a chainsaw to the mayor's apple tree, she had been so pissed off that day. And it wasn't just negative emotions Emma felt in extremes with Regina, it was positive ones too, like tonight, she had been so happy. She never felt more alive than when she was with Regina, and hadn't she watched some TV show that said you should love the person that makes you glad you're alive.

Who was she kidding? This wasn't about whether she loved Regina, of course she did. Had done since the moment she had seen her run outside in that grey dress and wrap Henry in her arms like she never wanted to let him go. Sure they had a lot of hiccups along the way, unbridled hatred for each other being one of them, but Regina had sucked Emma in from the very start, without even trying. She affected her in a way no one had ever done before and because of that she was scared. Of letting her in, of telling her everything, because she had never told anyone before, and more importantly had never wanted to tell anyone before, had never cared enough about someone's reaction. What if she thought Emma had deserved it? Or what if she thought she was weak, Regina needed someone to be strong for her. Regina had told her this evening that she was full of light, but what happened when she realised she wasn't? What happened when Regina realised she wasn't the Saviour everyone wanted her to be? _What if? What if? What if?_ The voice inside her head taunted her.

It was times like these when she really wished Mary-Margaret was still Mary-Margaret and not Snow White, not her mother. It's not that she wasn't happy to have found her family, though it was still hard to adjust to, it was just Mary-Margaret had been the first true friend that Emma had ever had. The first person who had never wanted anything from her, other than her friendship. The first person to put their faith in her and believe in her, and when the curse broke, Emma had lost that, because she became Snow instead. She knew that Snow still cared, in fact she cared a whole lot more than even Mary-Margaret had, but it was different because Snow still seen her as the little baby girl that she had put into the wardrobe. She had dreams, and expectations and hopes for her daughter, none of which included Emma falling in love with the woman who had vowed to destroy them all. And so Snow had become just another person, in a long list, for which Emma had not been enough.

She played with her phone then, debating whether to call Snow or not, it had only just gone twelve, so Emma knew she would still be up. But what was she going to say? _'Hey mom, I know I haven't even told you, anything about my past but I was wondering if you could help convince me to bare my soul to your mortal enemy!' _Just as she was pondering this, she realised she had a message from Mary-Margaret.

Text Received 21.22

_Hi Emma, I don't want to disturb you. I just wanted to apologise for earlier, I know I didn't react well, I'm sorry. Xox _

She must have got it while she was out at the bin; she hadn't checked her phone since after dessert. She quickly typed out a reply.

Text Sent 00:11

_No worries. So quick question, Henry asked me tonight how you get rid of fear? Any ideas?_

Emma knew it was a cop out but she really wanted her advice.

Text Received 00:15

_You can't. You can have courage but that isn't the absence of fear, only the judgement that something else is more important than fear. But I think you have more courage than you know Emma, you just have to decide what's truly important. Xo _

Text Sent 00:16

_Thanks but it was Henry that asked. _

Text Received 00:17

_Of course it was. Xo _

Emma knew she was probably gonna regret those texts tomorrow, when Snow had the chance to interrogate her, but as she had read Snow's answer, she knew without a doubt that Regina was more important than her fear. And Snow was right, Emma was many things, but a coward wasn't one of them.

As Emma walked into the bedroom, after gulping down a glass of wine (or three) in the kitchen, she could make out Regina's silhouette in the bed. Regina hadn't closed the curtains and with it almost being a full moon, silver light filled the room. She was facing the opposite way from Emma, so she couldn't see her face, but she knew she wasn't asleep. She closed the door over so as not to disturb Henry. She knew that walking over and sitting on the bed, after walking out like that, was likely to throw Regina into a rage, so she stayed standing by the door.

She took a couple of deep breaths and after a couple of false starts, something finally came out although it wasn't in her usual clear, confident tone.

"I, uh, I'm sorry I walked out, I just got scared. I don't mean to keep you out or push you away… I did want to talk to you, I even kinda planned what I was gonna say, but then you asked me what was wrong and I froze. I, I don't know how to let people in. I really, really didn't mean to make you feel like I was using you or just want you for your body, I promise you Regina, you are far too important to me for that, you have to believe me?"

There was no acknowledgement from the bed but she hadn't been kicked out, so Emma took that as an encouraging sign. She knew she had only made it harder on herself.

"I usually, em, don't think about it much, my past, I mean. Try not to think about it anyway. I just, I, I don't really know where to start… I've never actually sat down and told anyone about it before."

Emma took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. She didn't really think her legs would keep supporting her so she sat down on the edge of the bed, her hand resting on the pillows for support. Regina turned so she was facing Emma's back, although she didn't say anything.

"I can usually forget about it, and it doesn't even affect me, but it's… It's just this case and just everything. I was, emm, well I was attacked. I was about 14 and was sleeping rough in New York. Yea looking back not really the best place to sleep rough but I couldn't risk social services finding me, or the cops, and it's crazy big sooo."

She stopped again, playing with the thread in one of the pillows. Finally she continued.

"I'd run away from my last foster home, the Lewises, it was… well it wasn't great. It was one of those big homes, where they have like 10 kids in a room, basically illegal now but back then it was all about how much money they could get in. Mrs Lewis was actually pretty okay, but to Carl we were just a meal ticket, a meal ticket and a punching bag."

Emma's voice was quieter now, barely a whisper as she allowed herself to drift back.

"I remember he used to practice playing poker with us, he was an awful gambler and a drunk and every Friday and Saturday, he'd go out an spend all the money Mrs Lewis had earned that week – she was a cleaner, worked three jobs, just to keep his habit. But anyway, sorry, off topic. Anyway we all used to sit around an play poker with him, I was pretty good, what with the whole ability to tell when someone is lying thing, but Annabelle wasn't. She was one of the youngest he made play and she just didn't get the rules at all. So when it got near the end of the game I'd always swap cards with her, he didn't like people who weren't good at poker see. An it was better if he beat on me rather than her. He didn't like screamers and she screamed. Then he just got more mad, which wasn't good for anyone… after a while he started taking me for private lessons. Turns out the only thing he hates more than kids that are bad at poker, are kids that beat him at poker."

Emma stopped then, taking deep breaths as the memories of the things that happened next threatened to overwhelm her.

"I, I could take it, at the start but then he got more aggressive, and… it hurt… no one ever came."

Tears started welling up and she started shaking her head.

"I don't, I'm sorry Regina. I don't think…"

Emma hadn't even felt the movement in the bed until strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind, Regina's head rested on her shoulder as she nuzzled into Emma's neck.

"Shush, darling. It's okay. Take a breath. You're safe."

They sat like that for a while, as Emma's breathing returned to normal, Regina placing random kisses to her shoulder every so often.

"I dunno if I can tell you, but I can show you some of it."

Emma then took Regina's hand and pulling her tank top up a little seemed to be looking for something. At first Regina was confused but as Emma pressed her fingers to the blondes hot skin she felt something, it wasn't Emma's normal smooth skin, instead it was slightly bumpy, and circular as if something had punctured it.

"Fireplace poker, I'd won the game. Carl likes to win."

Before Regina could say anything, Emma had moved her hand to another part of her skin; this one was down near the hip and was jagged.

"Broken glass bottle, from when I was attacked in New York. Think there might still be a piece in there. That was, well it was scary. I didn't see it coming."

And then again her hand was on the move, up to Emma's collar bone where a part of it stuck out a little.

"Fractured by one of my foster parents, was never reset properly."

Emma then held up her hand so Regina could see the scar in the centre of her palm.

"I tell everyone I got this in a car workshop, that I fell over and someone had left a nail on the ground. Truth is one of my foster brothers stabbed me with a pencil cos I refused to give him a blow job."

How had she not noticed all these scars before? Regina thought to herself. Sure she had seen some of them but she had never questioned how Emma had got them, had automatically assumed that they were from her bounty hunter days or innocent childhood injuries.

Emma then bent down and removed her shoes and socks. Moving so she was sitting back up in the bed she showed Regina the soles of her feet, they were covered in small circulator marks and then straight lines. Regina knew that the lines probably came from some sort of whip, if it wasn't for magic she'd have the same marks all over her back, but the circles, she ran her finger over one and Emma guessed what her question was.

"Cigarette burns. They hurt like a bitch…. Not exactly the fairest of them all, am I?"

"You're beautiful."

"You don't have to say that Regina. I get it. The scars are ugly."

As Regina looked up to Emma's face, she realised with a shock, that Emma truly believed that. She quickly straddled Emma's thighs, pulling her face up until Emma locked her eyes with her.

"Hey, you look at me Emma Swan. You are beautiful."

She then placed a kiss on the right side of Emma's neck and whispered.

"Amazing."

Kissing the left side.

"Gorgeous."

Finally kissing the blonde's lips.

"Perfect."

Emma shook her head, sadly.

"I'm not perfect. All these scars show is that no one has ever cared about me, that I'm not worth it. I'm not full of light Regina, I grew up in the gutter. I've done so many things that I'm not proud of. This whole town thinks I'm some sort of hero and I'm not. They all think that I'm this great person for breaking the curse, I didn't even mean to break the curse, I wasn't trying to save the town, I wasn't even trying to save Henry. I had failed him, just like I fail everyone. Just like I'll fail you."

Emma leant back on the headboard, looking more defeated than Regina had ever seen her. As Regina looked at Emma she knew that what she had been told tonight was only the tip of the ice berg, that there were many more beatings for which there were no scars, and emotionally Emma had been let down, time and time again, by the people who were supposed to care for her.

Regina felt guilt settling over her heart like a stone and she didn't even notice she was crying until Emma started wiping them away.

"Hey please don't cry."

"I'm sorry Emma, I'm so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault Regina."

But Regina knew that it was, Snow and Charming may have put Emma in that wardrobe but only because they hadn't had any other choice. She hadn't given them one. She had told Snow White that they would be going somewhere horrible but she hadn't realised just how horrible this world could be, and that it was the Saviour who would suffer the most. Back then she wouldn't have cared, but now? Now it was breaking her heart. But she also knew that tonight wasn't about her guilt, it was about Emma and letting her know that she was adored, because she was.

"Oh Emma. You never cease to amaze me with how much you can see in other people. How you can see everyone else's light and yet you can't see your own."

"Regina…"

"Emma you have been through so much and you're still here. Those scars don't show that you're a victim; they show you're a survivor, a warrior. So you didn't mean to break the curse, you still did it; you still had that power within you. You haven't failed anyone. And you won't fail me. You've saved me, in every way I could be saved."

Then Regina leant forward and kissed her. They had kissed many, many times, but somehow they both knew that this kiss was different. It felt different, it was soft and unhurried and gentler than Emma had ever thought she was capable of being kissed. There was no fight for dominance that usually came with their kisses, they were simply enjoying each other. The kiss saying everything that they still couldn't say with words but would come with time._ I trust you. I need you. I love you. _

Regina gradually deepened the kiss, gently running her tongue over Emma's bottom lip and for what was probably the first time asking for entrance, instead of demanding it. Smiling Emma opened up and Regina slid her tongue in, enjoying the taste. Pulling back a little she cupped Emma's face.

"Needed a little dutch courage, did we dear?" Referring to the wine, Emma had necked before joining her again. Emma laughed.

"Err, yea."

"I'm so proud of you Emma, for opening up, thank you."

Before Emma could respond, Regina was already trailing wet kisses down her neck, paying particular attention to her collarbone. Her hands trailed down Emma's arms linking their fingers together. As Regina nipped and sucked on her pulse point, Emma moaned out.

Emma removed one of her hands from Regina's so she could pull Regina back up and into another kiss, this one was more passionate than the last one and much faster but it held the same meanings. They were still very much at the edge of the bed so Emma rolled them over so they were in the middle and she was on top. Grinning down at Regina, she let out a small yelp of surprise at being back on the bottom as Regina flipped them over.

It didn't last long though as Regina once again attacked her jawline and moved down the column of her throat.

"Regina, wait."

"What's the matter?" Regina asked, leaning on her hands to prop herself up over Emma.

"I just, you don't have to do this, I don't want you to feel like I'm making you do this."

Again Regina felt guilt flood through her, she hadn't meant to make Emma think she was anything like the man who had tied her to him, in anyway.

"I know Emma. I didn't mean what I said. I was hurt and I lashed out. You aren't making me do anything. I want this. I want you... Unless you don't? I understand. I should never have acted that way with you, I never wanted you to see me that way."

Regina went to sit up and move away but Emma grabbed her and pulled her back down.

"Of course I want you Regina. I've never wanted  
someone so much, don't leave me please."

"I won't ever leave you sweetheart. Let me love you Emma, let me show you just how much your worth."

She stroked her hand down the blonde's cheek, running her thumb over her bottom lip. She could see in Emma's eyes how uncertain she was, how scared she was to let someone touch her like this. She brushed her lips over Emma's.

"Let me make love to you Emma."

Taking a deep breath, Emma nodded. And in that moment Regina could literally feel the trust being given to her, feel the power of willingly being given a heart instead of taking it. And in that moment Regina vowed that she would do anything and everything in her power to protect the woman lying beneath her.

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**SO? This chapter was hard to get on paper the way I seen it in my head so if you could let me know any thoughts I'd love ya forever :) **

**Ps again this scene will be over two chaps so you will get the sexy scene ive been hinting at throughout this fic :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Hey Guys, I'm sooo sorry for the delay with an update. I was on holiday for 2 weeks there and I just wasn't happy enough with the chapter before I left, which is actually a good thing for you guys since I changed practically everything when I got back. Hope its good enough to make you forgive me :)

Ps As always thank you guys for the reviews and to all new followers :) You are the best and the reviews really inspire me.

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Emma could feel her heart thumping in her chest, in fact it was beating so loudly she was surprised Regina couldn't hear it, was surprised it hadn't just stopped all together. As she looked up at the brunette beauty above her and heard her words, she could swear it did.

"Let me make love to you Emma."

No-one had ever asked her that before, no-one had ever wanted that with her. Could she say no? As she looked into Regina's eyes and saw the warmth, devotion and patience in there, she knew that she could, that Regina was truly asking her permission, that she was being given control, a rare commodity in her life. Did she want to say no? No. Yes. No. Maybe. This was possibly one of the scariest, most life altering moments of her life, and looking back on her life in the last year alone, that was really saying something. But then she remembered Regina's words, the look in her eyes as she had refuted Emma's claims that she was a failure, how the brunette's arms had felt around her as she had showed her aspects of a past, that she had hoped she would never have to explain, and so she took a deep breath and nodded.

The smile that appeared on Regina's face would have been worth saying yes for, even if she hadn't wanted it and the blonde was again awe struck by the beauty of the older woman. She didn't have much time to stay that way however, as Regina drew her into a powerful kiss that left them both breathless in its aftermath.

"You have no idea how special you are."

Regina mumbled against her lips as her hand started running up and down the blonde's side. Emma could feel her nipples start to harden as Regina repeatedly skimmed the outside of her breast. The blonde ran her fingers through the brown locks above her, revelling in the silky softness she found there. She could feel Regina peppering kisses over her jaw and couldn't hold back the moan that sounded from her lips. _Thank god for soundproofing._

Regina continued her administrations along Emma's jaw; slowly lowering herself down her neck, sucking on the point just above the blonde's collarbone that Regina knew made her crazy. As the grip in her hair tightened, the brunette couldn't help smiling into her kisses. As she reached the top of Emma's breasts and was stopped by the tank top the blonde was wearing, she decided that her lover was wearing far too many clothes. Sitting back, Regina played with the hem of Emma's tank top as she straddled her stomach; the blonde could feel the heat at Regina's core through her panties and arched up into her.

"Patience, darling." Regina scolded lightly though she was still smiling, then she pulled Emma's tank top over her head, Emma coming up to meet up her and make it easier. They kissed again, harder, wetter than before, both starting to lose themselves to the arousal coursing through them.

Regina lowered her lover back down on the bed. She took a few moments to appreciate the view in front of her; there was something incredibly sexy about the Sheriff when she was just in her skinny jeans and a bra. Also something incredibly sexy about this strong women lying beneath her, she mused to herself. She allowed her fingertips to trail almost reverently down Emma's body, over the valley of Emma's breasts and across the flat plane of her stomach, paying particular attention to the scars across her body, memorising them, leaning down to kiss them, she could feel Emma's muscles twitch and tighten in response.

Meeting Emma's eyes she could see that the blonde was a little uncomfortable. It was different for them, this slowness, this softness. Even after they had acknowledged that it wasn't just angry sex, and they meant more to each other than either had wanted to admit, the sex had still been just that, sex. It wasn't bad, no Regina thought, it definitely hadn't been bad, it had been pretty fucking mind-blowing actually, but it hadn't been emotional in the way this was becoming.

There truly was a difference between having sex and making love, Regina thought, not that she had ever expected to find out. She had long ago accepted that love and the act of making it was something she would not experience. All her sexual experiences had been about power and control; first control over her and then later her control over others. Until now, until this blonde hurricane had blasted her way into her life and her heart. Really she ought to be more annoyed with the blonde than she was, the former Queen thought wryly. Life had been much more predictable, much more in control without the Saviour in it. She had however, also been dying, one cursed day at a time until Emma had shown up. Emma made her feel alive, she filled that void that had been in her heart for far too long and gave her something to live for. And the blonde needed to know that, she needed to show her just how much she had saved her, how by just being her Emma had been more than Regina could ever have hoped for, all she had ever wanted.

Moving down the bed, Regina started placing hot, wet kisses to Emma's stomach, dipping her tongue slightly into her navel, her hands on Emma's inner thighs, her nails lightly scratching at the material there. Emma's fingers threading once again through brunette locks. Reaching round Emma's back, Regina unhooks her bra and throws it carelessly to the ground, much more interested in how quickly the blonde's nipples have hardened under her glaze, she smirks slightly as she trails her fingers over the two delicious mounds in front of her, never quite touching the stiff peaks that need it so much.

"Fucking tease." Emma breathes out, barely containing her groan as Regina grazes particularly close.

The sound of light laugher fills the room in response to that statement, easily becoming her favourite sound Emma thinks, before all thoughts swipe themselves from her mind, as Regina latches onto one of her nipples, licking, nipping, sucking, her tongue twirling around the stiff peak that was hardening even more under her administrations. The left nipple was not left out though as Regina allowed her fingers to rub and pull slightly, kneading the blonde's breast, before swapping sides and starting the process again.

Emma could feel her arousal increasing with every move Regina made, every touch however slight had her reacting, no one had ever affected her like this. Sure she had enjoyed sex before, but before it had always been nameless, faceless one night encounters to scratch an itch, to release tension before she exploded. With Neal she had been young and inexperienced and quite frankly had faked every single one of her orgasms with him, had with most of the men in her life, until she had learnt to take control of the sex, to use them like they wanted to use her. Even then, even with her in control she had never once felt like she did with Regina. She had been cynical about a lot of things before coming to Storybrooke, including sex only ever being sex but as she felt Regina moving further down her body, her fingers nimbly undoing the buttons of her jeans and her lips grazing over the skin now being exposed, she felt as though Regina was touching her very soul. She could literally feel the love Regina was bestowing on her and it was overwhelming every sense she had. All she could see, all she could hear, all she could taste, all she could feel was Regina and she had never felt so good.

Soon Emma was lying in just a pair of red boyshorts, Regina kissing her way up the inside of one leg and then the other, not getting nearly as close to her aching core as Emma wanted her too.

"Your overdressed babe" Emma whispered, her voice husky and dripping sex.

"Well that just won't do." Regina purred in her ear seductively as she grabbed the hem of her nightdress and pulled it over her head, Emma didn't see where it went as she was glued the vision that had appeared before her. Regina hadn't been wearing a bra so she was now only in a black lacy thong and Emma didn't think she had ever seen anything so…

"Wow, your… wow."

Regina blushed slightly at Emma's reaction.

"Am I dressed to your liking now Sheriff?"

"Emmm, I think the thong has to go, it's way too much." Emma said smiling as she hooked her fingers around the elastic of Regina's thong, using more strength than Regina had thought she had, though she probably shouldn't be surprised, the saviour ripped the thong off Regina, and added it to the growing pile of clothes on the ground.

"Hey! That was one of my favourites." Regina pouted.

"Sorry" Emma grinned not looking in the least bit sorry, as she pulled her own panties off and leant up to steal a kiss. Regina rolled her eyes and returned the kiss in spite of herself. Both of them moaned as they felt their breasts brush together, there was something incredibly right about their bodies pressed together this way, snaking her arms around Regina's back Emma held her there, pulling until Regina's legs where wrapped around her back and there was no space between them. Until they weren't sure where one of them began and the other ended, only that together they fit, like two jigsaw puzzle pieces that had spent their lives constantly trying to fit into the wrong puzzle, only to find that with each other fitting together was as easy as breathing.

"You feel so damn good" Emma whispered into Regina's shoulder, her fingers running over her smooth, taut back. She placed soft kisses on the flushed olive skin, progressively getting harder as she tasted more of the former Queen, as she sucked and added her teeth slightly she knew she was probably gonna mark her, Regina might be pissed she thought. But as she heard the deep, almost growl come from above her and felt the hand in her hair pushing her head further into the soft skin, she knew Regina was enjoying this.

The brunette rocked slightly into Emma and she could feel her arousal spreading over her stomach.

"Mmm, fuck your wet Gina."

Regina smirked at this and creating just enough space between their bodies for her to reach her hand down, she ran her index finger through Emma soaked pussy.

"As are you my dear." Regina stated holding up her soaked finger, as she went to lick her finger clean, Emma got there first and took Regina's finger into her mouth, licking her own juices off, twirling her tongue up and down the long digit. Regina's eyes were almost black at this point and dilated even further at the sight before her.

"Not fair dear, this is supposed to be about you"

"Well I'm enjoying myself, I thought you were too, no?" Emma countered with that teenage type horny half grin she does when she's all hot and bothered, that Regina doesn't want to find a total turn on but does, every single time.

"Of course I am. I just, I want to focus on you."

"And I want to focus on us. I want to make love with you, Gina. Together. I was so afraid of telling you about my past, in case I wasn't the person you wanted me to be. But you're the only person who has never expected me to be more than what I am, you don't expect me to be the perfect daughter or saviour or mom, with you I'm just Emma and you have no idea how much I need that."

"I need that too, you're the only person who I can honestly say doesn't look at me and see the Evil Queen, doesn't see me for all the mistakes I've made."

"We've all made mistakes Regina, even if some of us don't want to admit to them, they don't define who we are, who we can be."

"I just wish they could see that."

"Who Henry? Henry will see it. He seen it tonight, and he believes in you Regina, he was just confused and stuck in that whole good vs evil crap that everyone in this town is so eager to throw around."

"What about the rest of the town?"

"Do you care what the rest of the town thinks?" honest curiosity in her words.

"No, I mean it would be nice not to be hated but I don't care what they think, of me anyway, not anymore. But I do care about what being with me means for you, for Henry."

"I don't care what they think."

Regina half smiled at this, truth be told, the blonde saviour cared a lot more about these people that she would ever admit to herself and Regina knew this, Snow knew this. Emma had a loyalty to these people, that she didn't truly understand, but Regina did. Emma may deny it, it might make her uncomfortable to talk about, but she was a princess, royal blood ran through her veins and these people where her subjects. Some Kings and Queens ran their kingdoms only for their own gains, others ran them for the good of their people and Emma would be one such Queen. They may not be living in the Enchanted Forest anymore but Regina knew that Snow was relying on that loyalty to sway her decision away from a life with Regina.

"You've never been hated Emma, you don't know what that means. You say you don't care, but what happens when everyone stops saying hi to you when you walk past them in the mornings? What happens when they stop looking at you to lead them because they don't trust that I haven't got you under some sort of spell? And do you still think you won't care when Henry's friends won't come home with him because he lives with the Evil Queen?"

"You don't know that any of that will happen!"

"And you don't know that it won't, Emma! Sure it might be okay for a while, you can convince yourself that it doesn't matter, but one day you will wake up and convincing yourself won't work and you will hate me for that, for this cold lonely life you'll be living. And I'll hate myself for not letting you go, for being so god damn selfish with you."

"I believe that you've changed Regina, that you're not the same women that cast that curse. And if I believe in you then I have to believe in them. I have to believe that these people that profess themselves to be good, will see the good in you, because I can see so much good in you Regina."

Emma pulled Regina closer in then, feeling their hearts beating together.

"I should walk away…" Regina trailed off then and Emma felt her heart plummet to her feet.

"If I really had changed, I'd walk away and let you live the life you deserve, with your parents, and Henry and your friends. I'd let you go because it's the right thing to do."

Emma could feel Regina stroking her hair but she was pretty sure Regina didn't even know that she was doing it. She couldn't breathe, she felt like she was on top of a forty storey building about to fall off.

"But then again, I never have been very good at letting go, I'm selfish like that."

Looking at Emma now, she ran her fingers over her jaw line, before cupping her cheek.

"There are a million reasons why we shouldn't be together my dear."

"I know." Emma reply was simple and to the point, she had more to say but she didn't trust her voice, she wasn't going to cry if Regina was going to break up with her.

"So why? Why shouldn't I do the right thing and walk away?"

"Because… because you make me happy, and somebody once told me that everyone deserves to be happy."

"Even girls who turned into Evil Queens?"

"Maybe especially girls who turned into Evil Queens."

"I don't want to hurt you Emma."

"The only thing that will hurt me is you walking away. You told me you wouldn't leave and I believed you, please don't…. just please Regina."

The blonde couldn't stop the tears that threaten to spill forward and the sight broke Regina's heart.

"Oh Emma I don't think I could walk away from you even if I wanted to, I just, I, you make my life so much better. I don't want to be, I want to make your life better too. And I know that leaving would probably do that, even if you can't see that but I can't…. I don't want to leave you. You make me so happy and I want you, I want that and it seems I'm selfish enough to make one last wrong choice in my life."

The brunette wiped the tears that had fallen down Emma's cheeks.

"So together then?"

Regina whispered the last part and as Emma remembered asking to make love together she knew why, because tonight wasn't just about family dinner or letting Regina in or even making love, it was about so much more now, it was a promise, it was a choice, a vow almost, that both of them where making to each other.

"Together." Emma whispered and with a kiss they sealed it, their bodies moving together as one, both of their hearts finally acknowledging and accepting what had been inside, since they had first met on the doorstep of this very house. What may have very well been written in the stars themselves.

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Well? It was my first sex scene of any kind so hopefully it was okay. I know it got kinda fluffy at the end, it always does with me it seems lol! Let me know, please and thanks :) xo


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey Guys, I know its been a while with this chapter but I really lost inspiration with the whole comic con thing! :( However I read the new chapter of Alaska829Snow's story The Last Resort (you guys should check it out if you haven't already) and they re inspired me... so here it is! **

**As always thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoy.**

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Bracing herself against the gale force winds whipping up a frenzy outside, Snow forced the door of the diner open and stepped inside, grateful for the blast of heat that greeted her. Some things here really were better than the enchanted forest and central heating was one of them. She was glad to see that no other patrons had gone head to head with the beginnings of the fierce storm that was currently making its way down the east coast; it meant that the diner was quiet and she would get a chance to talk to Ruby without interruptions.

"Hey Ruby."

"Hey Snow, you look froze let me get you a hot chocolate."

While Ruby busied herself getting the drink, Snow made herself comfortable in one of the booths. A few minutes later Ruby joined her with a mug of steaming hot chocolate and cinnamon for Snow and a black coffee for herself.

"So what's on your mind Snow?"

"How do you know something is on my mind? Maybe I just called in for a drink and to say hi."

"Yea right. First off, you came in here all Snow White like which means you definitely have something important to talk about, if you didn't you would be all Mary – Margaret like and we would be gossiping about how Alexandra said her first word. Second, its practically gale force winds out there, even Leroy hasn't made it in yet, so you're clearly not in here cos you were just passing by. And third, let's not put a number on how many years we've known each other, okay? So spill it sister."

"It's nothing."

Ruby gave her a look.

"Well it's just, I'm worried about Emma. Emma and well…"

"Regina?"

"Yes. How did you know? What do you know?"

"I do work with her and David you know, and Henry isn't exactly the best secret keeper in the world. What I want to know is why you didn't tell me? And I know there're getting down and dirty."

Ruby didn't feel the need to mention that she had known before any of the Charmings, due to the fact that Emma and Regina's scents had melted together once they had started 'dating' for lack of a better term. Weirdly enough their scents actually went pretty well together and Ruby knew what that meant, but she didn't think that Snow would be able to handle that either.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just been a lot to handle and with these attacks, I've barely seen you… Wait 'down and dirty?' Really Ruby? That's my daughter you're talking about."

"Your twenty-eight year old daughter FYI, what do you think they are doing? Knitting?"

Seeing the look Snow gave her, Ruby replied sheepishly.

"So Emma and Regina then?"

"Yip the Saviour and the Evil Queen."

Ruby had to supress a small grin as she watched her best friends dejected face, if you actually thought about it, it was quite poetic. The White Knight saving the Evil Queen through love or whatever it was between the two powerful women, but as she saw Snow's face turn to anger as she sat thinking of her daughter with the woman who had brought her nothing but pain, Ruby realised that Snow wasn't quite ready to see the poetic side to it just yet. And if there was one thing Ruby knew about Snow was that unless she was ready for you to tell her something, she would just keep fighting it. She loved her friend, had killed for her, had fought Regina alongside her, but blind to her flaws she was not.

She knew that the circumstances were different but Snow, like a lot of people in this town, now had first-hand experience of doing something she had never dreamt herself capable of doing, of becoming a version of herself that she didn't recognise when she looked in the mirror and yet she, they, still didn't get it. Cora had been a danger to them all and in many ways getting rid of her was the right thing to do. But how she done it was wrong, manipulating Regina into killing her own mother, whatever that mother might have done, whatever Regina had done, was wrong. But people had excused it because Snow was good and Cora was evil, just like they excused her for killing Peter because it had been the wolf in her. Regina wouldn't be winning any prizes for citizen of the year any time soon but even Ruby had to admit that the Regina who came in for coffee most mornings, wasn't the Evil Queen, a bitchy used to be Mayor maybe but she had honestly seen a different side to her since the curse broke. Maybe she just needed the same chance everyone had given her, that everyone was giving Snow, to not let her actions in the past define her future.

"So how are you dealing with it?"

"How do you think? It's terrible, this wasn't supposed to happen Red."

"I know it wasn't exactly the plan but what if-"

"What if Regina has her under some sort of spell?"

"Do you really think she has?"

Looking into Snow's eyes, she could see how much her friend wanted to be right, how much she wished her daughter was under a spell, because that she could fix, that she could fight, but this?

"No, I don't. All I do know is that Regina has stolen her away from me… again. I only just got her back, I can't lose her."

"Hey, you listen to me. No one is stealing anyone. You aren't going to lose her. Emma is still right here."

"For how long Red? How long before Regina poisons her against us? Or breaks her heart to get back at me? Or hurts her so bad she wants to run?"

"Emma isn't gonna run, she has a home here now, she has you and David and Henry and more importantly me."

Trying to lighten the conversion obviously wasn't working as Snow didn't even crack a smile.

"And Regina?" Snow countered darkly. "Emma keeps saying that she's changed, that she just needs a chance. I've given her chances, more chances than I can count! To change, to repent, to redeem herself, and each and every time, she lets me down. Each and every time she shows me that she can't be trusted."

"Maybe this ti-"

"I can't take that chance. I can't let her hurt my family again. She's my daughter Red, you were supposed to be her godmother, I was supposed to be there for her, to teach her how to talk and walk and shoot a bow an arrow. She was supposed to be a princess, MY princess, MY little girl and Regina took that from me and from her and I just DON'T understand."

"Snow you need to calm down."

"I can't calm down. David keeps telling me that, like it will all just work out."

"Well maybe he's right, he is Prince Charming after all?!"

Again Ruby's attempt at humour fell flat.

"I just can't! I can't let this happen. I won't let this happen. I'm sorry Ruby I have to go."

As Snow stood up and stormed out of the diner, looking every bit the Queen she once was, Ruby let out a soft sigh. There was no point in going after her, she had known her long enough to know, what she needed was space. And what was she going to say to her anyway? None of the many things rolling round Ruby's head was what Snow wanted to hear.

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"So how are you, Regina?"

Regina sighed slightly before answering, she hated having to come here and talk about her past but she knew deep down it was helping, albeit slowly and much more painfully than she would have liked. She hadn't planned on coming back; it had taken a full blown argument with Emma and the blonde pulling out the Henry card before she had even considered it. But for some reason the Saviour seemed to think that Archie had been helping before the whole "we thought you killed him fiasco" and since he had been abducted by her mother because of her and yet didn't seem to blame her, she felt it was probably only right to let him have another chance, but if he ever dared break her trust again! _Breathe Regina._ She reminded herself trying to put into practice the breathing techniques Archie himself had taught her.

"I'm fine thank you, and you?"

"I'm very well thank you Regina. How has this week been for you?"

"I, well this has been a good week."

"That's great news."

"Really?"

"Really. Why do you think it's not?"

"I don't think it's not, of course I think it's great news, it's my news. But why do you think it's great?"

"Because everyone deserves to have good weeks Regina… Even you." He added before she could say anything. "So can you tell me three things about this week that were good?"

"I thought we were here to talk about the bad events in my past?"

"We are here to talk about you Regina, the good and the bad. I believe and correct me if I'm wrong, that we are talking because you want to live a different life to the one you lived back in our world, because you want to have more good weeks than bad ones. I think that it's important that we talk about the good stuff in your life while it's happening, it may help remind you why you are doing this, when for example you don't have a good week."

"Right. Yes. Well, Henry came to dinner and even though the dinner was ruined and we had to order pizza. It was just the perfect night and we talked and laughed and he just chattered on and on and Emma was there and…."

As Archie listened to Regina talk on about the family dinner, he watched in amazement as the broken, former Evil Queen transformed into this beautiful, strong woman before him, he watched as the further into the story she got, her smile grew wider and her eyes sparkled, bringing to life someone quite different, to the person entire lands had feared. He had only heard tales of the girl Regina had been before she became the Evil Queen, only second hand accounts of the stunning young girl who had once saved Snow White's life. They had seemed so far removed from the woman they had then known, that he was ashamed to say he had, like so many others, thought the tales at best the embellishments of a young girl or at worst lies.

Looking at her now, he could see that girl in striking clarity and even if many in the town could not understand why he was helping her, he knew it was the right thing to do. Once upon a time he had been given the chance to change who he thought he was destined to be and he wanted to give that same chance to Regina. She may have been given the role of the Evil Queen just as he had been given the role as the son of a thief, she may have done evil herself while he had sat back and let evil happen, but that didn't mean there hadn't been hope for him and it didn't mean there wasn't hope for her.

Their hourly session flew by and Archie was pleasantly surprised with the progress they had made during it, talking about the good things in her life really had helped Regina open up about her current fears, most of which revolved around her relationship with Emma. Archie was only mildly surprised at the news, rumours had been circulating for a while now, mostly just that the Saviour didn't seem willing to take revenge on the Evil Queen, but Archie could now see why they were right. At the time he had tried to point out that it was revenge that had led them all here in the first place and continuing the circle of violence would only make things worse but many people were stuck in the old ways and in their minds once an evil queen always an evil queen, which Archie mused, as he drew up his notes after Regina left, this resistance to change might well have been the problem all along.

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As Emma piled supplies into the back of the police cruiser, she tried to think over the details of the case. She understood the necessity of her and David stock piling, what with the wicked storm that was about to hit them from the east coast, but she couldn't help but feel guilty about not working on the case. Especially since she was finding it hard not to let her mind drift back to last night rather than thinking over the case like she had told herself she would.

To be perfectly honest, it wasn't really her fault. She was having no problems concentrating earlier, when she was chatting with David – who might actually be coming round to the whole Regina thing, but now he was inside getting more stuff and she had just spotted Regina heading into Archie's office, looking mighty fine. She raised her fingers to her lips absently, she could swear she could still feel Regina's lips on hers, could still feel her making her way down her jawline, to her pulse point. There were no words for last night, it was…

_With a kiss they sealed it, their bodies moving together as one, both of their hearts finally acknowledging and accepting what had been inside, since they had first met on the doorstep of this very house._

_As first their kisses were sweet but it didn't take long for them to heat up, the passion that was always burning between them just below the surface, igniting fiercely. Whether they were fighting or fucking it was always there and Emma lost herself in it. Her skin felt like it was on fire and every touch Regina made just made her burn hotter, she didn't think it was possible to feel this much. _

_She could feel Regina at her neck, then her breasts, worshipping her way down her body, she had never thought of herself as a bottom kind of girl but honestly with Regina she didn't care, just so long as she didn't stop. She gripped the sheets between her fingers as Regina bit down on her nipple, before her tongue gently smoothed over the sting. Further down she moved, placing warm kisses over Emma's stomach, her fingers trailing up the blonde's thighs, ghosting past her throbbing centre before trailing back down to her knee. _

_Closer and closer her dark lover moved, her lips moving further down, her fingers getting higher each time they trailed up her thigh. _

_"Fuck Gina, just do it."_

_Cool air blew across her center, and Emma practically arched off the bed, she was so unbelievably ready and Regina was just teasing her, god she hated this woman, she loved her but she hated her. _

_She sat up a little, looking down the bed, the sight that greeted her had a wave of arousal shoot through her so hard she was pretty sure she could come just sitting there. Regina had placed herself in between Emma's legs, her hands on each thigh just above the knee, her face level with Emma's aching core, her hair was in disarray from Emma constantly running her hands through it and she was biting her lip as if trying to contain herself from just attacking Emma, but it was her eyes that where Emma's undoing, they were black, blacker than Emma had ever seen them, but they weren't filled with anger, or hurt or homicidal rage, they were filled with warmth and love and want, pure unadulterated want and it was all aimed at her. In that moment Emma believed, she believed that Regina wanted her as much as she wanted Regina, she believed that she was worth wanting, she believed that the insignificant little foster girl who grew up in the gutter was worth saving. _

_She practically dragged Regina back up the bed, crashing their lips together as if her life depended on it, as if Regina was air and she'd been drowning. If Emma believed in all that corny, cheesy, romantic crap she would agree that maybe she had been drowning and Regina was indeed her air. Regina responded in kind, the time for talking was done, well almost done._

_"God Regina, I need you… touch me, please." _

_Pleas for release where interspersed with hungry kisses, Emma hands roaming over the body above her as if she could memorise it, as if she needed to know every inch of it. _

_Regina may have been on top but she was as helpless to Emma as if she had been lying beneath her, and for the first time in her life, she didn't mind, wanted it, welcomed it even. There were worst people to surrender to she thought as she gave her Saviour what she most desperately wanted. Reaching down the toned body she drove two fingers deep into the soaked centre of her lover, the blonde was more than ready. _

_"Oh god, YES!"_

_Smiling at the sight below her, Regina began moving her fingers in an out, setting up a steady pace that had Emma coming more and more undone by the minute._

_"MMMmmm, more, I need more." _

_Before Emma could even process what she had said, she felt movement above her, was Regina going to leave her hanging? Had she said the wrong thing?_

_She hadn't, but when Regina Mills did something she did it all the way, she had always been a perfectionist and she wasn't about to stop that now._

_Moving down the bed she wrapped her lips around Emma's small bundle of nerves, sucking gently, her tongue swirling round and round as she added a third finger, filling Emma up. She could feel Emma panting above her, mumbling incoherent words, as she set a feverish pace with her fingers, pumping in and out, faster and harder than before, determined to make Emma explode. _

_Emma could feel her orgasm building, could feel her legs tingling and the heat building in her stomach, she was covered in a thin layer of sweat as her hips moved with Regina, forcing her fingers in deeper. Her mind was in overdrive and yet thinking of nothing at all, it was all feeling, every nerve in her body focused on Regina's touches, on her lips, on her fingers. _

_She could feel herself getting closer but she had never experienced anything this intense before, even in its build up, what if she looked stupid? Or Regina thought it was too much?_

_As the blonde's walls tightened around Regina's fingers she knew she was getting close, but something was wrong, while Emma wasn't really one for making noise during sex, this time was different, she had been, and now she wasn't. With one last swipe of her tongue she progressed back up the bed, never once slowing her finger's pace. Emma was still taking deep breaths but it looked like she was trying to contain herself, her fingers gripping the headboard. The brunette pulled her into a long kiss, the Saviour could taste her juices on the Queens tongue and moaned into the kiss, her restraint forgotten as her hands made their way onto Regina's shoulders pulling her closer in as the blonde's legs wrapped around her, opening herself up even more to the brunette's fingers. _

_Regina traced scorching kisses over her jawline, and down her neck. Her breath on Emma's neck was driving her crazy, she was so fucking close._

_"It's okay, your safe here… Let go Sweetheart. Come for me Emma."_

_Regina's whispered words coupled with the curling of her fingers to find a spot that Emma had been pretty sure other girls lied about before she met Regina, had Emma's body seizing up as she screamed out the Queen's name. _

_"REGINNNNAAAAA!" _

_The blonde Saviour went crashing over the edge, waves upon waves of pleasure hurtled through her. Her nails digging into the brunettes shoulders as she tried to stop herself from floating away completely._

_Regina's fingers slowed but didn't stop, allowing another one to build, Emma didn't think it was possible she had never had two so close together, but her body wanted it apparently, as her hips started pumping against Regina's hand almost of their own accord. _

_"Oh god, gina, keep going….. please, yes, fuck."_

_Regina picked up her pace again, her own body rocking against Emma's, the sight of her blonde lover coming undone almost enough to send the brunette over the edge by itself. _

_Emma could feel Regina's wetness slide over her thigh._

_"Fucking hell your wet babe."_

_Regina only smirked as she rocked harder against the blonde, trying to get any friction that might help send her over the glorious edge she was teetering on. Grinning, Emma dragged her into a passionate kiss, before purring against her lips, her voice low and husky and drenched in sex._

_"You know Gina all you had to do was ask." _

_As she cupped the brunette's sex lightly, making the Queen moan in anticipation, she looked expectantly up at Regina. How did this even happen Regina thought? She was on top, she was in control and yet Emma wanted her to ask? As Emma smirked back at her, Regina realised that she may well have found her match in the blonde Saviour and she found she didn't mind at all. As scary as it was, Emma, she would gladly submit too, to Emma alone she would relinquish control. _

_Taking a deep breath she moved off Emma until she was lying on her back in the bed, she must have confused Emma at first because the adorable perplexed look she was given reminded her so much of Henry it made her heart constrict. She took another deep breath to steady her nerves, before reaching over and pulling Emma on top of her. _

_Emma kept eye contact with Regina, constantly and silently asking permission, as she lowered her weight onto her Queen, both of their bodies were highly sensitive and the contact made Regina gasp in pleasure._

_"Em-ma, pl..please, I need… I need you, touch, please."_

_Leaning up on her arms, Emma positioned their bodies so that their hot centers rubbed together._

_"This okay Regina?"_

_The brunette could only gasp out her acceptance of their new position as jolts of pleasure racked her body. Tenderly they kissed before both of them moved together to create a delicious friction, that brought them both closer and closer to the brink. They both moved faster the nearer they got, and Regina closed her eyes as she fought and lost the battle to maintain composure. _

_Emma didn't think she had ever seen anything more beautiful in her entire life, as this imposing, regal woman coming unravelled beneath her. Her hair spread across the pillow, her skin hot and flushed, eyes hooded, lips parted as she moaned out into the room, her chest heaving as she tried to control her breathing. _

_"I'm so fucking lucky." Emma whispered almost to herself._

_At this Regina opened her eyes to look up at the exquisite blonde above her. Whatever she was going to say lost however as her orgasm tore through her, Emma's name was the only thing on her lips, and on her mind as she watched her lover spurred on by her own orgasm hurtle over the edge as well. _

_Emma collapsed down on top of Regina, both of them spent. After a few moments Emma made to move, worried that Regina would be uncomfortable with their position, but the brunette held her fast, her fingers running through her hair and Emma was more than happy to oblige, this was the most comfortable, the most safe she had felt in what seemed like forever. Regina too was more than comfortable with their position which was strange given her past but with Emma she felt safe and loved and all the fears she had, for them and for Henry were a million miles away when she could feel Emma's body on hers, when she could feel her heart beating against what was left of her own. _

_"I'm the lucky one Emma."_

_Emma was too exhausted to argue._

_"Will you agree that we both are?"_

_"Mmm-"_

_"Please?"_

_"Okay dear."_

"Emma? Emma? EMMA?!"

The blonde was pulled out of her memory by Snow who was now standing by the cruiser, how long had she been standing there? The last thing she needed was to be caught by Snow having a sex day-dream/memory about Regina. Wait Snow looked pissed.

"Hey Snow, didn't see you there. What's up? David's in the station if you're trying to _find _him."

"It's not him I'm looking for. Can we talk?"

Emma had to admit it wasn't the best joke she had ever come up with but Snow could have at least pretended to find it funny, weren't mothers supposed to do that with their kids?

"Yea sure, come on in."

As they walked into the station David joined them. While grabbing a bottle of water Emma thought that maybe she had been a little harsh with her parents over the whole Regina thing. After all, they had found out by walking in on them, rather than being told, so it must have been a shock, luckily they had just been kissing but still. They hadn't really talked about it since, what with Henry always being around or this case, that and she may have possibly been avoiding the situation.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Regina."

"Yea I guess we should."

"I know we haven't been able to be parents to you for a long time but we are here now and I know you don't think you need it but I want to protect you."

"Snow I don't…"

"Yes you do Emma, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. So you're forbidden."

"Snow sweetie." Charming tried to interject.

"I'm what?" Emma asked confused.

"You're forbidden from seeing Regina."

"WHAT?"

Any thoughts of her being harsh with them wiped out of her mind as anger flooded through her.

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**So what did you think? I know Snow might seem a little out of character, but my thinking is that she is pretty desperate at the minute, she had faith that everything would be okay when emma saved them and its a lot more complicated than that. Please review, I do love them so :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the reviews guys, I also appreciate that I had no hate mail for my version of Snow so hopefully that continues this chapter :) Enjoy this chapter guys.**

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_"You're forbidden from seeing Regina."_

_"WHAT?"_

_Any thoughts of her being harsh with them wiped out of her mind as anger flooded through her. _

This was going very, very, very badly, Prince Charming thought to himself as he watched the two people he loved most in all the worlds facing off against each other. Did they know they looked that similar he mused. Emma might have inherited his colouring and lack of tact (though he preferred to think of it as blunt honesty) but when provoked into anger she was all Snow.

Mother and daughter stood, locked in a battle of wills as the silence that had descended following Snow's proclamation threatened to suffocate them whole.

"Okay I think we all just need to calm down a little and breath." Charming said keeping his voice low and even, edging towards his wife and daughter as one might edge towards a sleeping tiger, wary that any movement or sound might set it off.

"Where you in on this?" Emma turned on him then, voice steady and angry but her eyes betraying the hurt she felt.

"No, well, I…"

Caught between his true love and his daughter, the normally outspoken Prince floundered. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Once the curse had been broken, they were supposed to be together, to have their happy ending and instead here he was, standing in middle of the disaster that was currently his family. _Damn you Regina_ he fumed silently.

"All that stuff you were saying about wanting to get this case over so we could concentrate on being a family, and… God, even asking how my night went with Regina, it was all a lie."

"No, of course it wasn't a lie. Of course I want us to be a family. I'm your father Emma all I ever wanted was for you to be happy."

"So long as it isn't with Regina."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

"Emma, this is for your own good."

Emma rounded back on her mother.

"Are you fricking kidding me? You actually think you can do this? You actually think you can forbid me from seeing Regina?"

Emma laughed through her words but it was hollow, her shocked disbelief at what Snow was saying giving way to the very real fury that was swirling within her. Who the hell did they think they were?

"I just did."

"Snow maybe this-"

"No David, I can't just sit back and let Regina destroy her."

Emma rolled her eyes in irritation.

"Regina is not going to destroy anyone, especially not me."

"You don't know that. You don't know her."

"I DO know her!"

"You only think you do. She's the Evil Queen, and she promised me and I quote '_I will destroy your happiness if it's the last thing I do._' Well you're my happiness Emma and I will not let you get hurt."

Taking a slow, deep breath, Emma tried desperately to keep her emotions in check; one of them needed to keep a level head and it clearly wasn't going to be Snow.

"Look Snow. I get that you and Regina have a lot of history, both of you have done things that have deeply hurt the other. But this, what me and Regina have, isn't about that. Why can't you just give her a chance?"

"I've given her chances Emma, I've given her a thousand chances. And every time I do, she throws them back in my face. I know you want to believe in her, trust me I do, but some people just can't change, some people are just evil."

"NO! She's done horrible things I know that, I'm not stupid, but doing horrible things doesn't automatically make you a horrible person. So she made a few bad choices-"

"Bad choices? Emma she made it her life mission to destroy as many lives as she could."

"It wasn't as simple as that. Look I get that to you guys she's the Evil Queen but to me she's just Regina. She made some mistakes I'm not denying that, but we've all made mistakes, you included Snow and it's in the past. It's been almost twenty nine years, she's a different person than she was in your land."

"Okay fine, you want me to forget about all the things she did as the Evil Queen. Fine! What about all the things she did as Mayor. She framed me for murder Emma, kidnapped Kathryn, killed Graham!"

Emma flinched slightly as the last part was brought up, she tried not to think about the departed Sheriff, if only she had believed earlier maybe she could have saved him.

"Oh and let's not forget her plot to kill you."

"She wasn't trying to kill me."

"Right, she was just trying to put you to sleep for an eternity. And why didn't it work? Because your son took the bullet for you and nearly ended up dying because of it."

"You haven't exactly been a model of virtue yourself Snow, or have you forgotten manipulating Regina into killing her own mother, at least when Regina kills someone she has the balls to do it herself."

Snow looked like she had been slapped in the face and Emma felt a stab of guilt in her heart. This was not how this conversion was supposed to go the blonde thought.

"So she's already turned you against me?"

"No Snow of course not. You did what you thought you had to do, I get that and on some level Regina gets that too. But it still doesn't make what you done right and you know that.

"I thought you had all forgiven me for that?"

"I don't think it's my forgiveness you need. But don't you see? How easy it is to turn into someone you're not? Now imagine being alone and seventeen, and having just watched your mother rip the heart out of the only person you've ever truly loved. Imagine being a bride to a man old enough to be your father, a bride to someone she didn't love and who didn't love her, the mother to a child who if she had only kept her promise none of this would have happened? Someone once told me that not having someone was the worse curse imaginable. You have never truly known what that's like, what it means to be truly alone, but Regina does, I do. Don't you see that Regina was cursed long before she became the Evil Queen?"

Snow heard her daughter's words but she refused to accept them, to do so would bring her whole world crashing down around her. She was Snow White and Regina was the Evil Queen, she was good and Regina was evil, that was just the way it was. Sure once upon a time she had believed in the older woman's redemption but that was before a poisoned apple, before a stab wound to the stomach, before bitter words on her wedding day, before a wardrobe carrying her only child, before her husband near dead in her arms. Regina may or not have changed but she had, no longer would she sit idly by and let Regina destroy her happiness.

"I'm sorry you can't see it Emma but I'm doing this for you."

Taking a deep breath, Charming started to speak, praying that they were doing the right thing and that his daughter wouldn't hate them forever.

"Your mother might be right Emma. Maybe it's best if you and Regina just cool it down for a bit, until we can be sure she isn't a danger to anyone."

Emma could tell her pleas had fell on deaf ears, her biological parents where no more ready to listen to her than any of her foster families had been over the years. What she had to say simply wasn't important enough to them.

"Don't you think it's a little late for the overprotective parent act? What age do you think I am? I not a child."

"Yes you are. You're MY child!" Snow countered quickly.

Emma drew in a ragged breath as all the pain and resentment that had been locked away for twenty-nine years came raging to the surface. How long had she waited for someone to claim her like that? Without hesitation? How long had she waited for all of it?

"Biologically maybe. But I haven't needed parents in a hell of a long time and I don't need them now."

"Emma…" Charming started.

"No, David! I know you may not like it but I'm not the little baby you put in that wardrobe all those years ago anymore. I'm twenty nine years old and I stopped needing you two a long time ago, I stopped wanting you, I stopped looking for you. I. just. stopped. I grew up and I learned how to take care of myself because there sure as hell wasn't anyone else around that was going to do it. And then I kissed Henry goodbye that day and everything changed. Suddenly I had parents who were fricken fairy tale characters and everyone wanted something from me. But you were the ones who told me to have faith, that it ran in the family and I stupidly believed that maybe this time was different. Maybe my _real_ parents might care about what _I_ want!"

"Oh Emma, of course we care. I just don't know how you expect me to have faith in her. After everything that she has done, after all the pain she has caused, how can I have faith in her?"

"That's just it, I never asked for you to have faith in her. I wasn't asking for Snow White to have faith in the Evil Queen. I was asking _my mom_ to have faith _in me_, but apparently that's too much for the woman who put me in a fricken wardrobe and sent me away."

"We did that to give-"

"Don't give me that best chance crap. I gave Henry away to give him his best chance. You gave me away for yourself! You did that so you could get your true love back! So you could get your happy ending! So all of you could get your happy ending! Never mind what I had to go through! Never mind that you hadn't a clue where you were sending me too. "

"We had to have faith Emma, faith that you would be okay, that you would survive." Charming interjected quietly but with utter belief in what he was saying.

"Yea well I nearly didn't survive. And I am sooo far from okay, I'm not even in the same zip code yet strangely Regina is the only one who sees that, how'd that happen?"

With those words Emma stormed out of the station before she said anymore, and oh how she wanted to, she wanted to scream and rage and let each and every hurt that she had kept bottled up inside, out but even now she was afraid of disappointing them, of seeing the dismay on their faces when they realised that their daughter, their precious saviour was a fraud, capable of saving no one, not even herself.

She could hear Snow and David shouting behind her, hear the echo of their boots as they ran after her but she ignored them all, she needed to get out of here, it was too much, they were too much. Pushing open the doors of the station she almost collided with Ruby who was walking up the steps with coffee. Ruby had seen Snow head into the station and after their conversion earlier that morning she had wanted to make sure everything was okay. Taking in Emma's distressed state, it clearly wasn't.

"Emma? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Ruby, I just need to go."

"Emma."

"NO RUBY! Just leave me the hell alone, all of you!"

Pushing past her wolfy friend she jumped into her bug and pulled out of the Sheriff space with a huge screech of the tyres.

Turning, Ruby faced the two monarchs, both of which looked just as distressed as the blonde who had just tore past her.

"What happened?"

"Oh god, oh god. David what have we done? I need…. I need to see Emma, I need to talk to her."

"Woah, hold on Snow. I think you need to give Emma some time. What happened?"

"I told her…I, I said she was forbidden from seeing Regina, and then we fought, and oh god, she blames us Ruby, for sending her through the portal she hates us."

"You forbade her?"

"I know Ruby, I know."

"Do you? Snow you need to get a grip here, remember what I said about you not losing Emma? If you keep going like this, you are going to lose her and it won't be Regina's fault this time."

"Ruby!"

"No Charming. She's my best friend and she needs to hear this. Snow there is nothing that I wouldn't do for you, you know that, but I won't stand here and tell you what you done was right. None of the decisions you're making recently have been right."

Ruby watched as the woman she thought of as a sister collapsed in against her husband, she hated seeing her hurting like this but Ruby had been asked to be Emma's godmother and while the blonde might not need her like she would have needed her as a child that promise still meant something to Ruby. She would stand up for Emma against anyone, even Snow, it was, after all, what Snow had asked of her all those years ago.

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Many hours later Snow found herself standing in the middle of Emma's bedroom, tears silently rolling down her cheeks, cellphone tightly clutched in her hand. She had tried phoning Emma more times than she could count, first Emma had cut them off, then she had let them ring out until finally the phone had been switched off.

"What if she doesn't come back David?"

"She'll come back, I know she will."

"Was I wrong? In forbidding her?"

"You were just trying to protect her."

"But?"

"But she's not a child anymore, our child maybe, but not a child."

"So what do we do?"

"I only wish I knew."

On the other side of town, just on the outskirts of the town border Emma stood much like her mother, tears streaming down her cheeks. Why was she never good enough for anybody? Why didn't her choices ever matter? Weren't fairytale characters always harping on about following their hearts? Why did her happy ending not matter? These thoughts and many more like it had been plaguing her for hours now. She could barely remember the drive here, all she had been thinking about was getting out of the station, getting away from all of it. What had felt like seconds later she had found herself at the town border and it was here she had been standing, toe to toe with the red line that had been painted across the road to stop wayward residents from losing their memories. Her phone however was not in her hand, it was crushed underfoot, after several calls from Snow had tried whatever was left of Emma's patience and she had angrily thrown it at tree, before stomping on it when that had ceased to stop it ringing.

Her car had also bore the brunt of a spell of anger just after she had got here with both the front and back windows having been smashed with a tyre iron Emma had found on the floor of her car. That, she was probably going to regret in the morning as well as the half bottle of Jack she had been steadily draining.

The only time she had been tempted to answer the phone was the one time Regina had called, her finger had been poised on the answer button but then the phone had rang out and Emma hadn't wanted to call her back. Last night had been great with them, she didn't want to drag Regina down with her. Then she had smashed the phone and with it any chance of calling Regina in the future. God, she wished Regina was here right now.

Looking at the leaving Storybrooke sign she felt a strong urge to just keeping walking, one more step and she would be over the town line, she would be free, no one would be able to follow her, hell she could be half way to Canada before they even starting thinking about the fact that she might have left Storybrooke. No more parents, no more fairy tales, no more responsibility that she didn't ask for. But as much as she wanted to, a bigger part of her wanted to stay, not for Snow or David or the town, hell not even for herself, but for Henry and for Regina. She had made Regina promise that she wouldn't leave her and now here she was standing at the town line because her biological parents told her "no". This wasn't her, this wasn't who she wanted to be, this wasn't Emma Swan.

Sighing heavily Emma screwed the cap back on the Jack Daniels bottle, all she wanted to do now was go home, well pick Henry up from Snow and David's (preferably without seeing them) and then go home. Home, yea that sounded pretty good, more than good actually.

Sliding into her ruined bug, she frowned as it refused to start, well Regina was going to have a field day with this, Emma thought to herself. She must have left it on and now the battery was dead. She automatically reached for her phone before she realised that it was now in pieces. Damn it, looks like she was walking, at the very least it would sober her up abit, not that she was overly drunk.

What felt like hours later but what was probably more like twenty minutes, she wasn't even near the main street and it was now pitch black, she definitely didn't remember Storybrooke being this big. Maybe Regina had a point about the bear claws, she had unquestionably been fitter in Boston.

Suddenly the hair on Emma's neck stood to attention and a shiver ran down her spine. Moments later she could hear branches cracking and she spud round to try and see what had caused it. _Probably just an animal Emma chill out. _But then she heard it, deep panting as if someone was running, followed by loud crashes, on pure instinct Emma darted off into the forest following the sounds. The further into the forest she went, the darker it got and Emma felt branches and twigs battering and scratching her neck and hands and she was thankful for her leather jacket that was clearly taking the brunt of it.

She came to a halt as a blood curdling scream rang out into the night, followed by deafening silence. She unthinkingly grasped for her handgun only to remember that in her haste to get out of the station she had left it on her desk. She now felt dangerously vulnerable but she continued on, that scream had come from someone and she wasn't just going to leave them. Picking up a sturdy branch that was lying on the forest floor, Emma sprinted to where the sound had come from. The blonde Saviour was so focused on listening for further sounds that she completely missed the large object lying by one of the trees, her foot caught and she went flying to the floor, landing hard on her hands and knees, cutting them both. Ignoring the pain she jumped up as she felt something or someone watching her.

"mmm… ouch"

She heard a voice coming from the tree and she realised it wasn't a log she had tripped over it was a person. She half ran half hobbled over, leaning down over the girl.

"Hey, hey are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Please don't hurt me."

"I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Emma. Sheriff Swan. I'm gonna get us out of here."

Emma wanted to tell the girl she was safe but frankly she didn't know that they were. The girl was obviously quite seriously injured, and they were still miles from the town, she didn't have her phone or radio and more importantly for right now she didn't have her gun. Emma felt a tremor of fear shoot through her, this wasn't like her bounty hunts, this wasn't a human she was hunting, she wasn't armed and now she had something worth losing.

"It's chasing me… monster…. Please don't let it hurt me."

"I won't, I promise, I won't. Can you walk?"

"I don't…I think…I."

The girl was clearly losing consciousness. Without warning, booming crashes came thundering towards them. Emma twisted round, hovering over the girl protectively; the sight that greeted her from the trees was clearly not human. Swinging from the trees came a huge creature, with hands that looked like sledge hammers and a cigar hanging from its lips. Emma had found her killer but with no back up of any kind she was screwed. She held up her now very feeble looking stick in front of her and with little effort it was swiped out of her hands. She dodged the first few of his blows, but she was tired and it was dark and as the beast almost flew down from the large tree above her, she moved just a tad too slow and the great swing of his hand hit her squarely on the cheek, as she lost her balance and went flying to the floor her head whacked off a low hanging branch and with a sickening crack, the blonde saviour collapsed. A snapshot of Regina and Henry laughing was the last thing she seen before Emma's entire world went black.

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**Dum Dum Dum... think this is my first proper sort of cliff hanger so yay :) As always I love to hear your views, :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys. Thanks for the reviews I love hearing your thoughts, and your love-hate relationship with my cliff hanger :) Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

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_A snapshot of Regina and Henry laughing was the last thing she seen before Emma's entire world went black._

Regina sat staring at the TV screen blankly, if someone was to ask her what exactly she was supposed to be watching, she wouldn't have the slightest clue. Her tumbler of apple cider was hanging loosely in her hand as the thoughts swirling around her mind twisted dangerously. It was over fifteen hours since she had last spoken to Emma. Last night had changed everything and getting up this morning and having both Emma and Henry with her had been beyond wonderful. For the first time in what felt like forever Regina could feel hope bubbling in her chest. It felt strange and she didn't yet fully trust it but it was there all the same. She found that when she looked to the future she no longer saw only her death or defeat, this time it would be different. Maybe Storybrooke really was her happy ending. That had been fifteen hours ago.

She hadn't really thought about Emma's silence until late afternoon, she didn't want to be the clingy type and she knew that Emma had a lot on, they had all discussed the upcoming day over breakfast. Well Henry and Emma had, as an ex Evil Queen slash ex-Mayor she didn't really have a lot on at the moment, but as she sat listening to her family, and that's what they felt like now, she hadn't minded. She hadn't minded any of it, until she couldn't get in touch with Emma.

When the first call had rang out, her thoughts had been _Emma must be busy she'll call back_. When a few hours later, the second and third calls went straight to voicemail she had been irritated but not overly so. Emma was constantly forgetting to charge her phone and she had just wanted to hear her voice, maybe it was better she hadn't answered she didn't want to seem dependent; Emma did have a history of running and last night had been intense.

The more time that went by however she started to get angry. _Would it kill the woman to ring her back or charge her bloody phone for once? _As darkness descended and there was no answer from the station phone either, anger gave way to worry. It really wasn't like Emma to not call her back; in fact it wasn't like her to not pick up her phone in the first place. Even back when they had simply been the Mayor and Sheriff of a small, sleepy, New England town, fighting over their son, Emma had always picked up her phone, even if what she had to say when she did had annoyed Regina to no end. So, as strange an emotion as worry was for Regina to feel for someone that wasn't Henry, she found that she felt it and strongly felt it. _Was the blonde okay? Surely someone would have let her know?_ But even as she thought that, she knew that they wouldn't, that Snow and Charming wouldn't, they didn't trust her with their daughter when she was fighting fit never mind if she was hurt.

Just as a small voice in her heart tried to tell her mind something though, her thoughts changed again. This time her thoughts where cold and dark and sounded so much like her mother that the brunette shivered, nervously glancing over her shoulder even though she knew that it was impossible_. Did you ever think that maybe she isn't answering because she doesn't want to answer? That she regrets ever getting into bed with the Evil Queen. Don't be foolish Regina, people don't change, you can't change. Your only fooling yourself into believing you can. You are a silly insolent little girl Regina, after everything I done for you, you threw it away for what? The love of a teenage delinquent? No better than your stable boy. You will never be enough Regina, not for me and not for the precious Saviour, love is wea-_

Her mother's taunting voice was cut off as Regina hurled her glass into the TV, the smashing glass and subsequent sparks not nearly enough to calm the aching pain and pulsing anger pumping through her veins. She could feel her magic rising up to the surface, darkness washing over her. _Just a little destruction wouldn't hurt, right? She could clean it back up. No one would know._

Just as flickers of purple smoke started at her fingertips, her mobile rang. _Ignore it_ her anger chanted. But something stronger than her anger pushed back, something else, that the former Queen couldn't quite name resonated through her body, rebelling against the emotion that was so familiar and yet so destructive to her_. Answer it_ the feeling said.

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Snow stood by the door to Henry and Emma's bedroom, a small, sad smile on her face as she watched David put Henry to bed. He was a natural with kids, he would have made a great father, was a great father she corrected herself. But the truth was she didn't really know what exactly her and Charming were. Could you really be a parent to a child who had already grown up without you? Who was already a mother herself? Emma had said that she didn't want them, that she didn't need them, that she had stopped looking for them. What was she supposed to do with that? How was she supposed to be okay with that? She had waited so long to be a parent to Emma, not just the twenty-eight years she had spent cursed but long before that, the moment that pendulum had started swinging over her hand. That was the moment she had fallen in love with Emma. It had never once occurred to her that Emma wouldn't feel the same way, that she wouldn't understand the choice that they had made on that fateful day, that she would hate them for it.

"Where's Emma? She hasn't rang." Henry piped up quietly, not that he didn't love his grandparents but he preferred when Emma put him to bed, well actually he preferred when his mom and Emma put him to bed together, but he hadn't heard from either of his mom's all day and now he was starting to get worried. Snow had been really upset earlier, he could tell even though she tried to hide it, and now she was looking at him really weird.

"She's at the station, working on locking up the bad guys Henry. I'm sure she just forgot the time." His grandfather replied.

The young brunette wondered if he should tell the prince he didn't believe that for a second. It was almost eleven, even when Emma had been using the case to avoid talking about what was going on between her and his mother, she had always called to say goodnight to him. What was David lying about?

Maybe it had something to do with why his grandmother was so upset earlier, something to do with his mom. He knew she was the Evil Queen or at least had been but Emma was right, it was different now, she was different. In fairytale land she had been the Evil Queen but Emma had said that she had been made that way. So now his mom was choosing to be good and Emma was the White Knight so she would save her, like she had saved everyone. And his Grandma was Snow White, she was good, so she would give his mom another chance. Everyone would have their happy ending.

Even as his views of evil were changing, it naively didn't occur to the young prince that if evil wasn't always truly evil, then it was possible that good wasn't always truly good. That life and the choices people made weren't always simple. That they didn't always fit under neat little labels of good or evil. That even when harm wasn't the intended outcome people still found it hard to forgive. That it wasn't a question of if someone could do evil but rather what it would take for that person to do evil. That one day he would be horrified at his simplistic outlook on the world and his family, at his childish notions of good and evil and the one-dimensional labels he had assigned to some of the most important people in his life.

Tucking his grandson in and bidding him goodnight, David was hit with a profound sense of loss as he realised that he would never get this with Emma, that all of the things that his friend Thomas took for granted with Alexander, he would never have with Emma. That maybe what was sitting in this void between them and their daughter wasn't Regina but twenty-eight years of missed moments. All the firsts, all the joy, all the sadness, they hadn't been there for any of it. Not for the first time the prince felt guilt and regret prickle over his skin. _This is still Regina's fault, if not for the curse, none of this would have happened_. David tried desperately to justify his actions, but he found that the reasons sounded hollow, even to his own ears. More like a broken record that just keeps skipping over and over, never moving forward. Was that what they were doing with Regina? Just repeating history over and over, playing the same parts as they always had? For so long his wife had been sure that there was more to Regina than the Evil Queen, even after he had long ago given up on the woman. Now his daughter was showing that same faith, as a prince with a town to care for could he afford to trust her judgement? As a father could he afford not to?

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As Ruby drove through the town on patrol, she cranked up the heating to its highest setting, even with her naturally higher body temperature due to being a child of the moon, she found she was still cold and knew that the storm that was coming their way was going to be the worst any of them had ever seen, it seemed that the curse had protected them from more than just outsiders.

This morning there had been gale force winds as the first blast of it swept through the town but Emma who had much more experience with America's storms as she had lived in most of the States, said that the first blast would be nothing compared to what was coming; hale, high winds, lightening, tornadoes, not to mention that this storm was coming in on a cold front so the likelihood of snow and blizzards was very much increased. Apparently you could always tell how bad a storm was going to be based on the calm before it, and since her coffee with Snow this morning the winds had died down to a mere breeze and the temperature had dropped dramatically, the lack of weather was eerie given that they had spent most of the last week preparing for it. The Sheriff's station had ordered people to prepare provisions and not to leave their homes once the storm hit.

That was another reason she was driving around so close to the storm hitting, Emma hadn't been seen at any of the usual spots since her fight with Snow and Ruby was worried. Part of her was even contemplating ringing Regina to see if she was with her but she wasn't sure if she wanted to deal with Regina if Emma wasn't there. That and she didn't really fancy giving Regina yet another reason to want to kill Snow. After all she may not agree with the way Snow and Charming were dealing with their daughter and she may agree with Emma that Regina wasn't exactly the Evil Queen anymore that didn't mean that she condoned Emma sleeping with the enemy exactly; she was just as worried about the situation as Snow. She could just see more clearly that fighting with Emma was only going to drive her closer to Regina, which at this point seemed more and more inevitable. What was it her Granny always said _"The ways of the heart are a mystery to all of us my girl, and they aren't always meant to be figured out and analysed either."_

Suddenly her radio crackled to life and she grabbed it quickly almost spilling the cup of coffee Granny had made her.

"Emma!"

"No it's Grumpy."

"Oh right."

"Don't seem so happy sister."

"Sorry Grumpy, I was just expecting Emma."

"Yea well sorry to disappoint. I just wanted to tell you that I just got into the station and there's a report of a disturbance down at the toll bridge on the answerphone."

"Who reported it?"

"Dunno just got the report and well the trolls are back and some of the kids think it's funny to go mess with them, since ya know the trolls can't kill them without Emma freaking out, so it might be something."

"You say it like it's okay for the trolls to be killing people."

"Corse it's not, it's just they're trolls, Emma doesn't get that being nasty buggers is just in their nature."

"Yea well we aren't in the Enchanted Forest anymore Leroy, not everyone has to be exactly who they were there. Okay I'll go check it out."

"Maybe, maybe not. You be ok by yourself?"

"Yea the kids might mess with trolls now but not Children of the Moon, they're stupid not suicidal."

"Please you're a puppy sister."

"But they don't know that."

As Ruby set her radio back she was greeted with the sound of Leroy's deep belly laugh. Stepping on the gas she made her way out of town and towards the toll bridge. As she approached it she saw the embers of what had once been a fire but no sign of the kids that in theory had made the disturbance or possibly started the fire. She decided since the kids clearly weren't there anymore and she didn't really feel like dealing with trolls tonight, given that Leroy really was right about them, she would just turn back to town and deal with them tomorrow if the storm held off or after it. While driving over the bridge to find a better place to turn, her headlights hit off something yellow at the side of the road, parking the car she walked past the Storybrooke sign and up towards the town border.

It was Emma's bug, thank goodness, she must have come up here for some time alone. This was good, now she would be able to have a chance to talk with the blonde without Granny telling her to keep serving other customers or David being there. As she approached the bug however it was clear something was wrong, her ears were greeting with the sound of crunching glass underfoot, she could see that the bug was damaged and Emma was nowhere to be seen. She took out her cell to call her when she noticed the pieces of Emma's own cell lying on the ground.

"EMMAAAAA"

Her blood ran cold in her veins as she yelled out the princesses' name with no reply.

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BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

"Okay, okay, okay. We're coming."

As Charming pulled open the door to the apartment, he was almost railroaded to the ground as Ruby charged in, franticly trying to regain her breathing.

"Jeez Ruby, where's the fire? And what's with all the banging? Henry's in bed!"

As soon as Mary-Margaret saw Ruby she knew something was desperately wrong and the sense of dread that she had been feeling since her fight with Emma doubled.

"Ruby what's going on?" Mary-Margaret asked almost afraid of the answer.

"It's Emma!"

"Oh god, she's left hasn't she?"

"No she's gone."

"What? What do you mean Ruby? She's gone! What does that mean?" Charming took over from his wife, as it was clear she was not in the position to ask the necessary questions right now. The look of devastation that had come over her beautiful features as Ruby said those words where enough for Charming to feel his chest tighten.

"Well I was on patrol and I, l, got a call due to a disturbance at the, at the toll bridge and… when I got there, the kids making the trouble where gone but as I went to turn…"

"Just spit it out Red. Where the hell is my daughter?" as he spoke it was clear to see that gone was the weak willed David Nolan and in his place was Prince Charming in all his regal glory. This was a leader who got things done and protected his family at all costs.

"Her bug was at the side of the road, but it was empty."

"Maybe she just went for a walk, to clear her head." Mary-Margaret looked at both of them, silently begging for them to tell her she was right.

"The windows were smashed and her phone was in pieces on the ground. I called her name a few times and searched the surrounding area a little but I couldn't find her. I tried ringing you guys, but it was going to voicemail."

"We've been trying to get Emma all night, which was probably why you couldn't get through."

"Oh god, Charming what are going to do?"

"We are going to find her."

"What if she's hurt or worse? I can't, we can't lose her David."

"We aren't going to lose her Snow. I will find her. I will always find her. You're probably right anyway; Emma probably just went for a walk and got lost."

"Charming is right Snow. Emma's more of a city girl she probably took one step into the woods and lost the trail." Ruby sided with Charming even though she knew that the likelihood of Emma just being lost was slim at best.

"Let's go find our girl." The prince commanded.

"What about Henry?" "What about Regina?" Both Snow and Ruby voiced their concerns at the same time but only one was acknowleged.

"WHAT? What do you mean 'What about Regina?'" Anger was back in Snow's voice and Ruby was once again reminded of the bandit Princess Snow had been when she first met her. Strong, tough, capable and yet here in Storybrooke not nearly as clear sighted.

"Well her and Emma are sort of you know… wouldn't you want to know if it was Charming?"

"That's completely different Ruby. For all we know Regina is behind this!"

"She wouldn't do that!"

All of them turned to see Henry at the foot of the staircase, apparently Ruby's banging had indeed woke him up.

"Henry sweetie-"

"Something's happened to Emma hasn't it? I knew she wasn't at the station, why did you guys lie to me?"

"Henry we didn't lie to you, we didn't know that something had happened to Emma until Ruby got here." David tried to calm the young boy down.

"You still lied; you knew Emma wasn't at the station. Didn't you? Didn't you?"

"It's more complicated than that, Emma just needed some time alone."

"But now, now she's gone! And you're blaming my mom!"

David knelt down in front of the boy who for all his wisdom looked every inch his eleven years in that moment.

"Yes but we are going to get her back, remember what I told you when Snow and Emma went through the portal that I would find them and bring them back, that everything would be okay. Well it's the same this time. I will find her."

"And we'll sure as hell do it without Regina's help." Snow whispered vehemently to Ruby, keeping her voice low so Henry wouldn't hear.

"Maybe there's something in the book that can help! I'll go get it." None of them had the earth to tell the boy that his book wasn't going to help, that this wasn't one of this 'operations'.

Once Ruby was sure Henry was upstairs and not listening in to anymore of the adults conversion she turned to Snow.

"Henry's right you know."

"About the book?"

"No about Regina. I agree with him, I don't think she did this and I think you kno-"

Ruby was cut off by a sharp knock on the door. _Emma_ Snow breathed, momentarily forgetting that Emma had her own key and running over and pulling the door open wide.

"REGINA! What the hell are you doing here?"

"I called her." Henry stated from the top of the staircase, sounding so much like his blonde mother in that moment, both Regina and Snow felt their hearts thump rather painfully.

_The idea to get the book had been a ploy; he wasn't stupid, the book had been written to help break the curse not find lost Saviours. He needed something else, someone else, someone who had always fixed his problems before the curse, he needed his mom. _

_As Regina seen Ms Blanchard's number flash up on her mobile, her anger almost overwhelmed her but reigning herself in, she answered the phone anyway, her voice icy and threatening._

_"Ms Blanchard"_

_"Mommy?"_

_Regina couldn't stop the short gasp of shock that came over her as she held the phone closer to her ear. She hadn't heard her son call her that in years, even before his belief in the curse, he had calmly set her down one day in her office and told her that he was a big boy now so he wouldn't be calling her mommy anymore, but that didn't mean he didn't love her, he would always love her. It had broken her heart but she had been so proud to see him growing up. _

_"Henry? Baby?" Gone was the ice and threats, replaced with love and warmth and something unique for Henry, unconditional devotion. _

_"Are you hurt sweetie?"_

_"No, it's not me. It's Emma."_

_"Emma? What wrong with Emma?" Regina couldn't help the panic that filled her voice, she willed herself to calm down as she could hear her son reacting to her distress. _

_"She's, she's gone."_

_As Henry started crying, Regina felt the need to do the same but held her composure, her son needed her. _

_"Shushhh, it will be okay baby. I'm coming over okay Henry? I'll be there soon."_

_"Mommy?"_

_"Yes sweetie?"_

_"Use magic okay? So you're really quick."_

_Regina felt her heart leap in her chest as her son who had once tried to blow up magic, begged her to use it. A sense of dread that she hadn't felt since she was a young girl living with her mother filled her. _

_"Count to five and I'll be there baby." The former Queen replied as purple smoke gathered at her feet. _

As Henry bounded down the stairs and flung himself into his mother's arms, Ruby took in the numerous expressions on her friend's face, this was going to be interesting.

"Mommy?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"You were here in three."

Regina smiled down at her son, her hand running through his hair. Enjoying the moment even as her heart pounded loudly in her chest. One thought constantly running through her head. Emma!

"Everything is gonna be okay now. You're gonna save Emma right?"

Could she save her? She wasn't the Saviour. That wasn't the role she had been given, she destroyed lives she didn't save them. But as she looked down into the face of her-no their - son who looked at her with all the trust in the world. She knew that she would try, that she would give it everything she had. Because she would do anything to be what he needed her to be, what she needed her to be. Because they both deserved so much more than her but they had chosen her anyway.

"Everything is going to be fine baby."

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**Just to let you know I know nothing about storms so sorry if that is the most unlikely storm mix ever lol. **

**No Emma this chapter but she will be coming up in the next chapter, promise :) **

**Let me know your thoughts, they make me happy :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Heyyy! Thanks so much for all your continued support through reading, follows, faves, and your all important reviews :) **

**This chapter isn't as long as usual though now that its finished its not really short either lol but I hope you enjoy!**

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_"Everything is going to be fine baby." _

"I need you to tell me exactly what happened with Emma, okay sweetie?"

"We don't need you here Regina!" Charming spoke up breaking the moment between mother and son.

"Grandpa!"

"It's okay Henry." Regina moved so she was standing protectively beside Henry. Ruby had to admit she was impressed with how much presence the former Queen was able to give a room she wasn't even technically in, as she was still standing in the doorway.

"I only want to help David." Regina's voice was by no means friendly but it was clear she wasn't trying to antagonise anyone.

"We don't need your help and we sure as hell don't want it." Charming refuted harshly.

"Why would we possibly need the help of the Evil Queen? Haven't you done enough damage?" Snow questioned aggressively. Regina chose to ignore the Evil Queen jab but only because Henry was standing beside her, she didn't want this to get ugly for him.

"Look I know that neither of you want me here right now – quite frankly I have many places I'd rather be myself but Emma is gone and as parents I would think you would want every available person helping to find her." Regina's voice broke a little over Emma's name but she tried to cover it the best she could. She would display no weakness in front of Snow White.

"Don't you dare tell me how to be a parent Regina! You are the reason we weren't with Emma all these years, you are the reason she grew up alone, you are the reason I never got to be her mother."

Given her feelings for the blonde Saviour Snow's words hit home with Regina but she wasn't about to let Snow see that. She would spend the rest of her life apologising to Emma for how hard her life had been but she would not do the same to Snow White.

"I will take responsibility for the curse Snow but I wasn't the one who put their daughter in a box and shipped her to Maine!"

"But you're the reason that box even existed. We didn't want her to be cursed like the rest of us. We wanted to give her, her best chance and now she hates us. She won't forgive us for putting her in that wardrobe and yet she seems to forgive you for all of the horrible things you've done. Is this what you wanted? Are you finally happy now? Knowing that my daughter would rather that she hadn't found us. Knowing that you've darkened my heart. That you finally managed to destroy my happiness."

"And that my dear Snow White has always been your problem; you always did think of yourself as the innocent victim. I have done many things but darkening your heart is not one of them, that is on you. How Emma feels about you and Charming, is on you and what me and Emma have, hasn't got a thing to do with you."

"I'M HER MOTHER!" Snow screamed, tears burning in her eyes. "Everything about her is to do with me. I love her and I don't want her to get hurt and she will if she's with you, everything you touch burns Regina. You destroy everything, even what you love, look at your father and I WILL NOT let you destroy my daughter. And if you really cared about her, if there is any truth in your words, you wouldn't want this for her, these fights between us, she should be with her family. The family she went without for twenty-eight years because of your curse. You should want her to be happy, with me and Charming, with Henry and Neal, her real family."

"What the hell has Neal Cassidy got to do with this?"

"He's the father of her child, her tr-, her first love."

"And I'm the one who took care of that child for the first ten years of his life, while her first love or so called true love as I'm sure you were about to say, sent your daughter to jail!"

The air between the two Queens was growing heavy with tension, anger and resentment. A history ladled with pain, hurt and betrayal running forcefully between them, creating a chasm between the two women as wide and as deep as the ocean and just as unpredictable.

"Mom please." Henry begged with the former Queen, tugging her hand in the hope of breaking the staring contest between her and his grandmother.

"Henry's right Snow, you need to stop."

"So you're taking her side Ruby."

"No, that's not what I'm saying."

"It sure sounds like it." Charming exclaimed, coming to stand by his wife's side, both clearly channelling all of their worry for their daughter into anger at Regina, simply because it was easier to deal with.

"Don't blame Miss Lucas for agreeing with me when everything I just said is right. It's not our fault you didn't get you're picture perfect family Snow, have you ever thought that the problem isn't me, that maybe the problem is you, that it has been all along."

"HOW DAR-" Charming tried unsuccessfully to interrupt.

"After all, you are the recurring theme aren't you? If it wasn't for you Daniel would never have died, if it wasn't for you Ruby's mother would never have died, David's mother, my mother, your father? Can you see a pattern occurring? Because it seems dear, that you're kill sheet is almost as long as mine, the only difference being I take responsibility for my crimes."

"How can you… I never meant for any of those people to do die and it was, you… You killed my father!"

"Actually Sidney killed your father but I'll admit I helped him along, pathetic lovesick fool that he was. Then again if I hadn't saved _your_ wretched life that day, I would never have been forced to marry him in the first place."

Regina couldn't help but taunt the Charming's even as she could practically hear the voices in her head yelling at her for being drawn so easily into patterns of the past while Emma was in danger. This wasn't how her entrance was supposed to go, it was the reason she had decided last minute to appear outside the apartment and knock rather than just appearing by Henry's side which had been the original plan. She knew what it was like for your child to be missing, she could still feel the fear she had felt that day at the mine, and while she still seen Snow as an enemy, she wouldn't wish that on her or want to make it any worse, not when that child was Emma.

"GUYS STOP, JUST STOP! Please."

All the adults turned to the screams coming from the small boy, guilt and shock flooding their faces, all having completely forgotten that Henry had been standing right beside them, as they dragged up ghosts of the past that should have long stayed buried. As both Snow and Regina moved to comfort him he took a step back, his eyes filling with a disappointed anger that Regina was all too familiar to seeing but that took Snow by surprise to realise it was directed at her as well.

"Emma's missing, my mom is missing and all you guys are doing is standing around fighting with each other. Don't you get it, this isn't about you mom, or you grandma, this isn't about what happened in the stupid Enchanted Forest! This is about Emma. I know that you hate each other but that doesn't matter right now, my mom matters. Please… mom, I just want Emma back. Don't you?"

As tears started to stream down his grandson's face, the pain that Charming had been feeling since the curse broke, hell since he had put his daughter in that wardrobe even if hadn't always remember why he felt that pain , increased tenfold. Moving to stand beside Henry, Charming put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Emma would be horrified if she could see what was happening with her gone, he needed to approach this like his daughter would, do what she would do, say what she would say, and hopefully that way they would all be alive at the end of the night to actually find her.

"Henry is right. There are no sides to take right now. We need to find our daughter Snow so this is me saying that I don't care what Regina has done in the past, or what she thinks you have done in the past. Right now all I care about and all any of us should care about is finding Emma and if Regina is going to help get her back then I think we should all let her help. Right now you are not Snow White and you Regina are not, well whatever it is we are calling you these days, you are simply Emma's mother and you are Emma's gir…, you are Emma's… well yes, like I said we should all be working together to make sure Emma is okay."

Charming's voice wasn't unkind but it was firm and resolute, even as he stumbled slightly over the relabeling of the Evil Queen, clearly still not comfortable with the inclusion of Emma in this retitling. However the command behind his voice was clear showing that while the former Shepard was not born into royalty it didn't mean that he hadn't taken to it rather well.

Both Regina and Snow nodded dumbly, looking a little shocked to be called out on their behaviour and to find Charming willing to work with Regina. While Henry was just glad that at least someone was here to help him with his crazy relatives, he had never heard Snow White speak so harshly and if he was being really honest, even though his grandma was supposed to be the good guy, his mom hadn't started it this time. She had only been reacting. It was strange he mused he had always believed that it was he who had kept the peace between his mother and grandmother, and maybe he did, to a certain extent, but everything went a whole lot smoother when his blonde mother was here he decided.

Regina felt guilt and shame run through her, as Henry and Charming spoke, Emma would be severely disappointed in her she decided. _So apologise 'Gina_. She could almost hear Emma's carefree voice in her head and for the millionth time she wondered how the blonde found it so easy, to apologise, to admit when she was wrong. She teased her that it was because she was wrong so often but deep down she admired the strength the blonde had to admit her weaknesses and start over. So gathering all the mental strength she had she prepared to apologise to her most hated enemies. The fleeting thought that maybe it wasn't worth it crossed her mind only to be rather forcefully stamped out by the remembrance of the feeling she had, had while her and Emma had carried their son up to bed together like they had done it a million times before. She wanted that feeling always, for her, for Henry and even if Snow and Charming didn't believe it, for Emma too. And she knew that for as long as Emma seemed to want her, she would never have the strength to walk away from the blonde beauty. The Saviour who had such a control over her heart she might as well have plucked it from her chest.

"Henry, Charming, you're both right. I'm so sorry Henry. I want to apologise for my behaviour to you all. I shouldn't have snapped like that. Snow I do really only want to help find Emma. I know you don't believe me but I care about her, more than you know and I'm just… I'm worried about her. I'll do it on my own but it will be quicker for Emma if we do it… together."

The last word stuck on her tongue a little but she got it out in the end. For Emma, her heart and head reminded her.

Everyone turned to Snow now and her anger at Regina burned a little hotter as she realised the situation the Queen had put her in, by apologising first she had won. If Snow didn't back down now, she would look like the bad guy. How ironic was that?! The niggling, little voice in her head. The one that told her that for the first time in what felt like an ageless battle, Regina wasn't actually playing games. That the fight between them had simply been them slipping into what now came naturally to them. That the woman in front of her, the one clearly worried about her daughter, could quite possibly be the closest version of the girl Snow had once knew and had almost forgotten existed. That voice was ignored and pushed down. The older and much more heart broken version of Snow scared to have faith in the woman, who once upon a time had been the hero in her story, not the villain.

"Yes well, I'm sorry too. We do need to concentrate on Emma though; I think there has been enough… talking. Me, Charming and Ruby are going to find my daughter; you can stay here and look after Henry."

"EXCUSE ME." Regina raged.

"I'm not a child, I don't need someone to look after me."

Snow's eyes prickled with tears as Henry uttered the same words Emma had screamed at her earlier that day.

"You wanted to help Regina; well this is what you can do. You keep saying he's your son, so look after him now."

"That is not the point Snow and you know it. What is your plan to find Emma exactly? Just wander into the woods and hope you'll always find each other! Because that's not good enough, not for Emma. There is a killer out there!"

As Regina voiced the one concern that none of them had been strong enough to utter, Snow seemed to break down in front of their eyes. Her anger at Regina had made her seem like she was handling the situation but the truth was she was drowning, in the guilt, in the anguish, in the worry. In the fear that Emma wasn't simply lost, that she hadn't gone for a walk to clear her head, that something so much worse had happened to her little girl. In the absolute terror that for once the things going wrong in her life weren't Regina's fault and if it wasn't Regina's fault then who's was it? Was Regina right? Was it all her fault? In the end had she really done the right thing? In putting Emma in that wardrobe? In forbidding her to date Regina earlier today? Emma wouldn't have been at the town border if it wasn't for their fight, which meant whatever happened was her fault. Snow was sure that was how Regina would see it and at this stage she wasn't sure she could really argue with it.

Sensing that she wasn't going to get much out of Snow at the minute and quite frankly unable to deal with the pure suffering radiating off the younger woman, Regina turned to Ruby.

"What happened exactly?"

"I was called to a disturbance at the toll bridge; we thought it was probably just some kids. I went to check it out and I found Emma's car by the town border, the windows were smashed, her phone was on the ground broken and she was nowhere to be seen."

Regina felt sick as she remembered her own anger at Emma's continuous voicemail.

"What was she doing at the town border? Did you catch her scent?"

"Well that was the weird thing, I caught her scent and it seemed to be heading back into town but even though there was all that damage done to her car, hers was the only scent I could sense and it was a couple of hours old at least so I just headed here to let Snow and David know."

Regina wasn't stupid she had seen the looks passed between the three adults in the room and she could read Henry like a book. Emma had not been at the border due to sheriff business, but she let it go, she needed to see what she was dealing with and find Emma. Shouting at Snow and Charming would have to wait until later.

"Okay well the first thing we need to do is get someone to mind Henry – No arguments Henry – then we need to go back to her car and see what we find there. We'll follow her trail even if it's old, it's the only lead we have."

Her voice was stable and determined, sounding as regal as Henry had ever heard her. Even Snow stood to attention, her natural authority reaching even the White Queen. Regina was no longer interested in trading jabs with Snow; the feeling that had resonated through her body at the phone call was getting stronger and more impatient. She needed to find Emma now.

"I'll call Granny."

"It's very late Ruby; won't your grandmother be in bed?"

"She not really a big sleeper, a few hours a night at most, she won't mind."

If Ruby was surprised at Regina's thoughtfulness of her grandmother, she tried not to show it; instead she busied herself getting in touch with Granny, glad that someone had finally taken charge. And sighing with relief that Regina had let the town border issue go for now, the fight had been nasty but honestly Ruby hadn't feared for her life once, Regina had changed or at the very least was changing but if something happened out there to Emma, and Regina thought it was Snow's fault she was there in the first place, and Ruby knew Snow was shouldering the blame, she didn't think either of them would ever come back from it.

But it was fine, Emma was fine, she was going to be fine. As she along with the rest of the family tried to convince themselves of that, they had no idea how very not fine Emma was in that moment.

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**So any thoughts? I know another cliff hanger! hee hee.**

**I know I promised Emma in this chapter and I honestly meant to write this scene along with a Emma scene but I couldn't stop editing and reediting this scene and move on to the Emma part so I thought if I updated it then id have to move on lol. **

**Reviews are my food for the soul so let me know how I did, this scene was kinda hard to do, I personally feel im better at fluff but who am I?! I might be crap at both lol. :) thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey peeps, thanks for all your reviews for the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this chapter, this one is short, but it has Emma in it :)**

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_Emma was fine: she was going to be fine. As she, along with the rest of the family tried to convince themselves of that, they had no idea how very not fine Emma was in that moment. _

It was well after eleven when the blonde Saviour regained consciousness. Reality slowly made its way through the murky waters of her conscious mind, reaching down to drag her back up to the surface. It felt like the morning after a big weekend of partying, the mornings she used to have before coming to Storybrooke, the kind of mornings after the nights where you partied so hard you lost parts of your life. To the night, to tequila, to whiskey, to dance floors and strange men, in strange rooms and even stranger towns. It felt like those few moments after waking when your mind was truly blank and all you can conjure up is the question: _What the hell happened last night? _It was phrase that was all too familiar on the blonde's tongue.

Only this time she hadn't been partying in some back alley bar in the bad part of town, downing drinks meant to block out memories of a life filled with disappointments, with men looking for nothing more than a warm body to lie beneath them. This time she wasn't waking up in a random bed, to awkward conversion.

She was waking up to a situation much worse. A situation that she had promised herself she would never find herself in. Not again. Sure, she had been in some hairy situations throughout her bounty hunter days, but that had been on her own terms, she was the hunter then not the hunted. None of them had wanted to be caught, but they had held a certain sort of respect for the fact that she was chasing them simply to get her cash and for the most part held no real ill will towards her personally. This situation was different; here she was once again the victim, powerless and at the mercy of those stronger than her. She had promised herself that night in New York as she had lain in a pool of her own blood, that if she survived, she would never allow herself to be put in that position again. That she would never again feel that fear, never again give others the satisfaction of knowing they could hurt her, take from her. And for the most part she had kept that promise. Until now.

Her senses were foggy and her body felt heavy, her mind was spinning and she couldn't really concentrate on anything. Part of her knew she should be trying to wake up, to pull herself through the darkness that kept sweeping over her mind, the other part of her wanted to sink back into it and allow it to cover her. Maybe this was it? The end. Hadn't she fought long enough? Didn't she deserve to bow out gracefully? She was so tired, of fighting, of running, of not being good enough. It's not like anyone would care.

_"Everything is going to be fine baby." _

Regina! Almost as soon as the blonde saviour heard the words of the former queen echoing through her mind it seemed as though her world snapped back in focus and the darkness that had threatened to overcome her was blasted back to the corners of her mind. Her mind and body fully beginning to function together again as her heart beat with two of the best reasons for her to survive, Regina and Henry.

"Regina? Regina?" Even as Emma called out she could feel whatever connection she had thought she had slip away, to the point where she wasn't really sure there had been a connection at all. Maybe she had only wanted to hear Regina's voice. Before the darkness could consume her again, images hurtled through her mind.

Snow.

David.

Fighting.

Anger.

Hurt.

Drinking.

Car.

Walking.

Running.

Falling.

Monster.

Girl.

Pain.

Attacked.

Black.

As her memory of the events leading up to this moment, crashed over her in random flashes she pulled back from the cold, hard floor she was currently lying on. _Ahh. Fuck. That hurt._ The blonde tried to focus on what parts of her hurt the most but she couldn't pinpoint her exact injuries, she was either over reacting to general aches and pains or she had too many injuries to count. She tried to convince herself it was the first option but she was Emma Swan as if she would ever be that lucky.

Focusing her energy, and using the ropes around her wrists that were tied to a large metal ring on the wall, she pulled herself up off the floor to a sitting position. Fortunately the wall was right behind her, as her left arm gave out almost as soon as she put her weight on it. She was now half sitting; half lying on what she could now see was a wooden plank floor, slowly she inched her way into a full sitting position. Breathing heavily, she tried to shake off the bright spots that were currently swirling around in front of her eyes and take in her surroundings.

She was definitely in someone's basement; she could make out the stairs up to the house in the dim light of the moon. Apart from that, there wasn't much to see, the room was mostly empty apart from a few boxes and old piping lying around. Despite this Emma could glean quite a lot from this empty room. The air was cold, very cold, which probably meant that the house wasn't in the forest where it would have the protection of the trees. Emma could taste salt in the air so the house was probably closer to the ocean than the town but she couldn't hear waves so it wasn't on the beach, though she couldn't really hear much of anything apart from ringing in her ears. And they weren't gagged so the house was detached and probably out on its own. Where no one could hear them scream. She had to stop watching so many scary movies she decided as she almost freaked herself out with that thought.

"Hello."

Her tangent on the merits of scary movies was broken off by a quiet voice coming from the across the room, its owner was tied up much the same way as Emma but she had been sitting up when Emma had woken, though she had presumed since the girl wasn't screaming her head off that she had been unconscious.

"Oh hey. I thought you were knocked out."

"I was, for at least a couple of hours I'd say." The girl motioned to the small window where the moon was now high in the sky.

"I'm-"

"Emma, yes I know who you are."

"You do?"

"Oh, yes, you're quite the celebrity Emma. Sheriff of Storybrooke, Saviour of the Enchanted Forest, First born to Snow White and Prince Charming, heir apparent to the White Kingdom, not to mention the biological mother of the Queens son. Quite a list of credentials you have, though you'll have to forgive me for being mildly disappointed by your rescue attempt."

"I, well… What's your name?"

"Scarlett."

"That's it?"

"That's my name yes."

"No list of credentials?"

The girl laughed lightly then and Emma could swear it reminded her of someone, but her head still hurt and she couldn't think straight. That being said she didn't really like this girl's attitude and she found herself reacting to it.

"Look I admit my rescue wasn't the most well thought out plan in the world but at least I came."

"You're right, sorry I get a little testy when I'm… Well being tied to wall is definitely a stressful situation for me."

"Doesn't even make my top ten." Emma smirked trying to inject some humour into the situation; it was how she dealt with most of the serious issues in her life. And being tied to a wall by a deranged fairy tale character did in fact make her top ten.

"Look, Scarlett right? I'm gonna do everything I can to get us out of here, okay?"

"Yea I know and someone is going to find us, right? You're a Charming at least your parents will be looking for you? I hear they have a good track record."

"Umm, about that."

"You are joking right? You came out looking for me with no back up?"

"I didn't go out looking for you at all! I was walking back to town, minding my own business and then bam I end up locked in a fricken basement, without so much as a thank you for not leaving me alone with frankenmonster!"

"So no one knows we're here?"

"Well…" Emma thought back to the fight she'd had with her parents, how she had stormed past Ruby, screaming for them all to leave her alone. She thought about how she had mentioned she would probably stay at Snow's tonight to Regina and how she hadn't answered her cell, which now lay in bits on the side of the road.

"You mean technically?"

"We're going to die."

"Pluhease we are not gonna die. Are all you fairytale characters so damn dramatic? Who are you in fairytale land anyway?"

"You wouldn't know me. I'm not exactly up there with the likes of Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. And as for being dramatic, if there was ever a time for it, then having been chased by, what was it you called it? A 'Frankenmonster' and then locked in a basement would most definitely be it."

"True dat."

Was it just Emma or did she detect a hint of bitterness there? She let it go though as she saw a flash of pain roll over Scarlett's features as she moved to the left slightly. It brought back into focus all of Emma's injuries and though she had discerned that neither of her legs were broken, her left arm felt dodgy, she could feel a steady stream of blood flowing down from a cut on her forehead, and she couldn't really take deep breaths for the pain that seized her when she did, which probably meant broken ribs.

"You look as bad as I feel." Scarlett joked and their easy banter returned, both of them desperate to keep the icy fear they felt at bay.

"That's cos you can't see yourself. Go figure, I though damsel's in distress always looked perfect, they do in the books."

"Not everything you read in that book can or should be taken as fact. As with everything in history, the books never show both sides and are nearly always written by someone with a hidden agenda."

The Saviour felt as though she was being given a message but about what she couldn't tell. Instead she busied herself with prising off the loose nail she had found in the floor, ignoring the throbbing pain and blood covering her fingers as the nail dug into her flesh.

"Ah ha. Got it."

"Got what?"

"A way to get us out of here, hopefully. I never really was the damsel in distress type."

As Emma got to work trying to at least loosen the knots around her wrist, she noticed Scarlett get quieter and quieter.

"Scarlett you gotta stay awake. Okay? I've nearly got through one of the ropes, I thi-"

She stopped suddenly as they both heard movement from above them. Emma could feel the adrenaline rush through her at the sound, every nerve stood to attention just waiting to be given a job. All her senses shocked into over drive. She knew what her body wanted her to do, flight or fight and she was pretty well versed in both but she was still tied up so she wasn't running anywhere and she was still tied up so she was fighting anyone either.

"I gave you one job….simple…should….couldn't…a deal…"

"…I'm sorry…the Sheriff…supposed…sorry…"

"…Kill them…"

"…anything… need time…"

Emma heard Scarlett gasp, they hadn't heard much of the conversion, it had been mostly muffled through the floorboards but they were both completely sure that the 'kill them' wasn't directed at the rats that were currently making a home in the boxes in the corner of the basement.

"We're going to die." Scarlett whispered.

This time as Emma gazed over at the terrified features of the girl she had only known a few hours, she had no quick quips, this time she was pretty sure that yes they were going to die. _Regina, help me, please._ The blonde Saviour didn't know where that thought had come from, why her mind had went straight to wanting Regina rather than figuring a way out of this but she only hoped that in some way Regina could hear her, because right now she was a Saviour that really needed saving.

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**So what do you guys think? Scarlett? Any guesses on her FTL identity? I will be adapting her story the same way the guys at OUAT so hopefully you guys like what I do. I will try and update again soon.** :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys, I'm really sorry that it had taken me so long to update, life has been very stressful in the last few weeks so I haven't had much time to write. I am now back on track though. Enjoy!** **:)**

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_Regina, help me, please. The blonde Saviour didn't know where that thought had come from, why her mind had went straight to wanting Regina rather_  
_than figuring a way out of this but she only hoped that in some way Regina could hear her, because right now she was a Saviour that really needed saving._

"There's her car." Charming called out, as the small rescue party appeared in a cloud of swirling purple smoke just at the edge of the town border.

"There's broken glass everywhere, she must have been ambushed or something." Snow noted, both her and her husband running over to check the car for clues.

Now that they were on the hunt for her daughter Snow had managed to rein in the overwhelming fear she felt for Emma, along with her boiling anger at Regina and focus on the task at hand, finding her baby and bringing her home safe. She still didn't particularly like the idea of working with Regina but it seemed that she had been out voted by basically everyone, so she had given in with as much grace as she could muster which really wasn't all that much she had to admit, if only to herself, but she couldn't really be blamed, could she? Snow White working with the Evil Queen to find the Saviour, it seemed a little unnatural.

Charming for his part was just happy that his wife no longer looked like she wanted to murder Regina where she stood. He could understand where Snow was coming from but rehashing all the mistakes of the past wasn't going to help anyone least of all their daughter. And while he was loathed to admit it Regina did seem to be genuinely upset by Emma's disappearance.

"She wasn't taken here." Regina spoke quietly but with authority. She hadn't even moved from the place she had appeared. Though Ruby had seen her scan the area while Snow and Charming had ran to the car.

"What do you mean she wasn't taken here? There's glass all over this place, her car is all smashed up."

It took all Regina had not to roll her eyes at Charming's statement of the obvious. It was funny; she always had much more patience when it came to Emma and her annoying tendency to do that. The brunette felt her heart lurch in her chest as she thought of the blonde, she closed her eyes briefly, trying to bury her fear and worry, she would be no use to Emma if she couldn't control her emotions.

"I can see that David, however Ruby has already stated that she tracked only Emma's scent along the path from her car back into town, before it veered off into the woods. So it would seem that it was Emma herself that wrecked her pathetic excuse for a car."

"Why would you even think that?" Snow questioned though not with the same venom she had shown in the apartment.

Regina bent down to retrieve the tyre iron that she had found by her feet which still had fragments of glass on it, swirling it round in her hands.

"If Emma had been attacked here there would be one or maybe two windows broken, not all of them and certainly not that bonnet damage. It looks like it has taken repeated hits. She would also have ran into the woods much earlier than a few miles from town. So maybe a better question Snow is why Emma felt the need to smash her car windows with a tyre iron in the first place?"

Fuck. Ruby should have known that Regina wasn't going to let the reason why Emma was out here go.

"We had a fight, stupid really." Ruby tried desperately to cover for her friend.

"I'm sure Snow appreciates the effort Ruby, but I am neither stupid nor in the mood for noble gestures. I also happen to know Emma a lot better than any of you give me credit for. There are very few people in this world that can illicit this kind of reaction in her, and since I'm usually the prime suspect and I know it wasn't me, I'd have to say it was one of you too idiots."

Regina's tone hardened at the end, if anything happened to Emma, a curse to some godforsaken land with no magic would be the least of the Charming's problems.

Snow knew it was no use trying to lie to Regina, she was many things but she wasn't stupid and anyone who thought she was tended to get a rather rude and deadly awakening.

"Okay yes, it's our fault that she was out here; we had a fight this morning. It that what you wanted to hear Regina, that this is my fault?"

"Do I even need to ask what the fight was about?"

Regina's tone was sarcastic; she was under no illusions that it had been her that had dominated that conversion. But under the sarcasm, hidden and practically undetectable was concern, one of her biggest fears was that one day Snow's talks would strike a chord with Emma, that one day being with her wouldn't be worth all the hassle that came with it.

"What do you think? But I didn't mean for this to happen."

"You never do dear."

"Enough! Ruby where did you lose Emma's scent?" David brought them back to the situation at hand.

"In the woods, a couple of miles out of town."

"Could you picture it? If you can I could transport us there."

"Yea I can do that."

Moments later the group appeared close to where Emma had lost consciousness. Regina felt herself lose balance, the result of doing too much magic after not using it for so long, she had forgotten how much energy it had taken at the start. Instinctively she reached out and grabbed onto the closest branch to catch herself. As she pulled away she felt something come off in her hand, she grimaced, it had been a long time since she had been around nature but as she looked down she realised it wasn't mud in her hand but dried blood. Her heart sank to her feet and she audibly gasped. Ruby's voice felt like it was coming from a million miles away as all the terror she had been keeping at bay flooded through her. Images of Emma raced through her mind, past and present contorting into what could be and what might never be if she didn't find her.

"…where I lose her but it's weird it's not like the scent fades or anything, it just disappears like it was never here at all."

As Regina returned to the here and now she could feel it, some sort of cloaking spell. She could only feel it because the person cloaked had been here recently; it was already fading, a few hours more and it would have been gone with no trace that it had ever been there at all.

"Magic, there's magic here."

"What do mean?" Snow urged.

"It's some sort of cloaking spell, I can sense it."

"Like an invisibility thing?"

The fact that Regina didn't even acknowledge that as a stupid comment made Snow worry even more.

"No a cloaking spell isn't about invisibility it means that whoever is cloaked can't be tracked magically. It's why myself and Gold couldn't sense anything about the attacks. It's a smart spell though, because usually when you cloak something you leave a magical trace behind, like a signature from whoever cast the spell. Gold is powerful enough at least, to have noticed that. However this spell is specifically made to be… magicless… I guess. It's meant to leave no trace of anything, not the spell, not the attacker, or the attacked."

"So why did we find the girls if they are under the cloaking spell?"

"Because like I said it's not an invisibility spell Snow! It just means that anything magical about the attack is cloaked so we can't see it. I think it was meant so that when the attacker got their target there was no trace that the person ever went missing. Whoever those girls are they weren't his target."

"So Emma was?"

"No, from what Emma told me all the girls attacked were brunette, I think maybe Emma just got in his way."

"Like he was in the middle of an attack and she tried to stop him?"

"There's another scent here, maybe..." Ruby tried to venture into the conversion that Snow and Regina were having, hopeful that if it was a group discussion then things wouldn't get out of hand. Her words didn't even seem to register and Charming gave her a look that indicated that if they weren't screaming at each other then it was best to leave the two women alone.

It was funny really, Snow and Regina had been in each other's lives for so long, had been the focal point for so many of the terrible things that had happened to each of them, yet it seemed that when disaster struck they found themselves time after time gravitating to each other. These two powerful Queens clashing destructively, as if unsure whether anyone else could take the brunt of their emotions, comforted in some small way that as much as they tore at each other, they would never truly destroy each other. Forever connected yet both of them straining against the ties that continued to bind them, refusing to see that in one way or other they were destined to be family.

"I think so."

"But if he has taken her then that means…"

"Yes it means whoever he was attacking was his target and he took Emma because she witnessed it."

"She was trying to stop it, to save her."

"God this is so like her, so like you. You and your reckless hero genes, your incessant need to do the right thing. I'm going to kill her when I get my hands on her. Stupid, irresponsible, infuriating woman."

Despite her worry for Emma, Snow half smiled at the site of Regina unravelling even just a little. Echoes of memories long forgotten filtered through Snow's mind as she watched the former queen closely. For the first time since she found out about her and Emma she allowed herself to see the honest emotion in the older woman's eyes and without thinking she closed the gap between them, grabbing hold of the hands that were wrapped tightly across the brunette's chest.

"We will find her Regina. I believe that, I have to believe that."

In a moment of rare vulnerability Regina allowed Snow to hold her hands, needing some support even if she was cringing at its source. The moment was brief however, passing almost before Ruby or David could fully comprehend what was happening.

"Of course we will dear." Regina replied, pulling her hands away, unable to deal with the onslaught of emotions being that so close to Snow White gave her. "I have a plan."

"You do?" Charming finally came back into the conversion, knowing better than to acknowledge what had just happened. That would likely have him strung up and to be perfectly honest he wasn't 100% certain that it wouldn't be under his wife's orders.

"I do. Now how do you all feel about a little blood sacrifice?"

Charming and Ruby stared at her in disbelief. She couldn't be serious. Never. Ever. Blood sacrifice was not happening.

"What do we need to do?" Snow spoke up again, her voice stronger and clearer than it had been all evening. Regina just raised a perfectly arched eyebrow showing only mild surprise at Snow's enthusiasm to participate.

"Snow, sweetie."

"No Charming, this is our daughter we are talking about. Whatever it takes, I'm willing to do it, I won't fail her, not again."

"I was hoping you'd say that dear, after all it's your blood I'm going to need."

"I'm pretty sure if you needed my blood, you would have got my blood, with or without my consent." Snow snarked back, daring Regina to disagree and yet trying not to focus too much on the fact that if it meant getting Emma back there wasn't much Regina wouldn't do and how exactly she felt about that. Regina only smiled as if she was in on a joke that no one else knew.

"Whatever it takes dear."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

As Henry heard the front door to the apartment open he bounded down the stairs as quickly as he could, a huge grin on his young face. A grin that fell quickly as the one person he wanted to see walking through the door didn't come through.

"You didn't find her?"

His voice was low and more wobbly than Regina had heard it in years. It had been easy in the past year to treat Henry like he was adult in a miniature body, because most of the time that was how he acted, most of the time he was more clued in than the adults were but here and now, she could so clearly see the small boy that used to come crying to her with his skinned knees or beg her for just one more bedtime story that she felt her heart break for him.

"No we didn't Henry but we have a plan."

"What sort of plan mom?"

"Yea Regina why don't you tell your son about the plan that includes the blood sacrifice of my wife?"

"MOM?"

Before Regina could open her mouth to either defend herself or curse Charming into oblivion, she wasn't completely sure which she wanted more – someone else spoke up.

"Charming that's enough!"

"But Snow…"

"I don't want to hear it. Henry it's not exactly what it sounds like. Emma has been taken but we can't find her the normal way because she has been magically cloaked so Regina is going to do a spell to find her."

"Using blood?"

Regina finally found her voice again and moved until she was kneeling down at Henry's height.

"I know it's hard to understand sweetie but I'm not going to hurt anyone much. The spell cloaking Emma is dark and strong, the only thing stronger is…"

"Love, you're going to use true love right?" Henry rushed to get the thought out, totally interrupting Regina.

"Not exactly. True love is the most powerful form of magic that's true but there's another kind of love, that's just as strong, the love of a family, of flesh and blood. I don't know who cast the original spell just that it's strong so in order for this to work I'm going to use one of the strongest bonds there is, the bond between a mother and child. Because we want the spell to take us directly to Emma I'm going to be doing a reversal of a blood to blood summoning spell."

"Oh…. well that makes sense I guess,… you can have my blood. I want to help Emma."

Her baby, always trying to be the hero, Regina thought.

"I'm sure Emma will appreciate that sweetie but your Grandmother has already volunteered."

"Will it hurt her?"

"Your grandmother is a big girl and it's only a few drops."

"A few drops? And you couldn't have told us that earlier?" Charming asked outraged.

"Now Charming, where on earth would have been the fun in that?"

Both Ruby and Henry couldn't help laughing at the offended look on David's face and even Snow had to fight to keep the small smile off her face.

"You said it was a reversal spell Regina, why are you reversing it? Couldn't we just bring Emma here?"

"We could but the spell would only bring Emma here not the girl we are assuming is with her. Also once we summon Emma any chance of finding the attacker is gone as the cloaking spell will protect him once more."

"You want to rescue the other girl as well as Emma?" Snow asked not even bothering to hide her surprise.

"Isn't that what the good guys do?" The former Queen asked wryly, giving Henry a brief smile.

"Well yes but…"

"I am trying to be better… and I'm also not about to just let go of the fact that someone took Emma. It will be the last thing they ever do, of that I can – ahhh."

Regina bent over in pain clutching at her heart and head, as emotions, thoughts and feelings that weren't her own rushed through her body. _Regina… help… please._ The words reverberated round her head, shadowy and unclear almost as if she were underwater and someone on the ground was trying to speak to her. And while she didn't know how it was possible or why it was happening, she knew with absolute certainty that this wasn't her mind playing tricks on her, this wasn't her emotions getting out of control. The words she was hearing, the feeling of pure dread in her stomach, the panic seizing her muscles, none of it belonged to her. She was only vaguely aware of Snow leading her to a chair, of Henry's worried questions, or the looks exchanged between the adults in the room. The connection to Emma was so intense she could feel the blonde's racing heart, could sense the desperation churning within her, could share with Emma the aches of her tired and battered body.

Regina had lived longer than she cared to admit and she had never felt anything like it. No one had ever dared connect to her in such a way. It was a practically unspoken but absolute rule in the magical world, this kind of connection between magical beings was forbidden. It was thought by some – meaning the fairies – to be too much like the connection found between True Loves. Like most forms of power, in the wrong hands it could be exceedingly dangerous. Right now Emma was making Regina feel what she was feeling, most likely unknowingly, however at the hands of someone with a more sinister agenda and Regina could be made to feel unimaginable pain. There was however a reason that it was a form of power that not even Rumple himself dabbled in, the price of this type of magic was that the connection did not just flow one way.

"Breathe Emma. We're coming for you, I promise. Just breath."

Regina repeated the words over and over, praying that Emma could hear, willing her heart to slow, and calmness and control to replace the panic and desperation, hoping that this would pass over to Emma. As she felt herself calm and then the connection slip away she knew that Emma must have exhausted herself, she had to work quickly. She had to get her back right now. Emma didn't just panic, truth be told the blonde was one of the strongest people Regina knew, if she was panicking this much then she was afraid that she wasn't going to get out of this and she was calling on her. Not Snow. Not Charming. Her!

Regina thought about her promise, the silent one she had bestowed on the blonde in the moment she had given her permission to love her, when she had trusted her with her heart and showed faith in the fact that Regina wouldn't break it. She had promised that she would do whatever it took to protect her, the woman who was slowly healing her broken and damaged heart and she wasn't about to break that.

Looking up she realised that everyone was staring at her with varying degrees of concern and a few hints of hostility. She had obviously been talking to Emma out loud. Great and just how was she supposed to explain this?

* * *

**Thoughts? I know that this is another chapter without Emma/Regina interaction which even I'm missing at this point but next chapter will be the rescue. Please review and let me know what you think, I love them so. And the next chapter will be up soon, promise :)**


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